Phase Conditions Research Articles

Comparison of 624-type Capillary Columns II

The present paper is the continuation of our "equivalent column" study. 624-type columns were investigated in a capillary gas chromatograph with a flame ionization detector (FID). In the preceding work, we used a homemade test mixture containing mainly acidic type compounds, which we complemented in the current study with additional basic test compounds to give a more precise description of the behaviour of the stationary phases. The columns had the same dimensions (30 m × 0.32 mm × 1.0 μm; length, internal diameter and film thickness, respectively) but were purchased from different manufacturers or the same manufacturer but from different batches. In addition, also their pre-life was different. These circumstances influence the condition of the stationary phase, and therefore their separation ability. These factors imply the necessity of testing the column from time to time. To distinguish between the separation ability of the columns, we compared the chromatograms, the retention times and retention order of the molecules, as well as peak asymmetry factors. Besides these parameters, quantitative determination is also performed based on the results of separation. We used the effective carbon number (ECN) and the limit of quantitation (LoQ) to demonstrate these differences which are caused by the different stationary phase conditions.

Comparison of fatigue characteristics and failure analysis of Ni-based superalloy subjected to thermomechanical fatigue under different phase conditions

In this research, the thermomechanical fatigue (TMF) characteristics of a second-generation Ni-based single-crystal superalloy were investigated. The combined effects of temperature cycling and mechanical stress were examined using a strain-controlled approach under different TMF testing conditions. The results indicated that cyclic softening occurred during the early stages during in-phase (IP) loading. In contrast, out-of-phase (OP) tests exhibited cyclic hardening, as evidenced by an increase in the stress range, which intensified at higher mechanical strain amplitudes. This resulted in a shorter fatigue life compared to the IP TMF case. The crack distribution patterns and damage mechanisms on the cross-sectional and fracture surfaces of the failed specimens were analyzed. In the OP TMF tests, oxidation-assisted cracking was identified as the primary damage mechanism. The dominance of oxide layers was a key distinguishing feature. Additionally, twinning-related deformation and topologically close-packed (TCP) phase particles were observed in specimens subjected to a higher mechanical strain of 0.6%, where they ran parallel to the main crack, contributing to a reduction in lifetime. Conversely, the IP TMF cases were mainly dominated by creep damage mechanisms, with some signs of oxidation penetration observed during testing. The application of the Ostergren model to the fatigue life prediction of a Ni-based single-crystal superalloy under both conditions was evaluated. As this model was insufficient, a modified Ostergren model was proposed by incorporating the maximum and amplitude stresses in the power law forms.

Unveiling 5-fluorouracil anti-cancer drug encapsulation within pristine and silver-doped boron, aluminum, and gallium nitride nanotubes: A DFT investigation for advancing nanomedicine

Nanomaterials represent a promising frontier in drug delivery systems for combating cancer, offering precise targeting of tumour cells. This study delves into the encapsulation capabilities of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) on pristine armchair (6,6) single-wall boron-, aluminium-, and gallium-nitride nanotubes (BNNT, AlNNT, GaNNT), both in their natural state and doped with silver (Ag) atoms under gas phase and water solution conditions. Employing density functional theory calculations at the M06-2X level, we scrutinise the geometric stabilities, encapsulation efficiencies, and electronic interactions between 5-FU molecules and NNTs. Our results reveal that a shorter distance between the drug and nanotube cavity enhances encapsulation ability and solubility while facilitating larger charge transfers, especially within Ag-doped NNTs. The Ag doping significantly augments the reactivity of NNTs towards 5-FU molecules, with thermodynamic analyses indicating exothermic and spontaneous interactions with Ag-doped NNTs. The decapsulation of 5-FU from Ag-BNNT, Ag-AlNNT, and Ag-GaNNT necessitates recovery time 6.42E+00, 3.21E+05, and 2.19E−04 s, with corresponding adsorption energies of −38.70, −49.52, and −28.42 kcal/mol, respectively. Electronic analyses demonstrate notable changes in states’ energy gap and density post-5-FU encapsulation in Ag-doped NNTs, suggesting enhanced sensitivity. Moreover, our investigation delves into topological features, molecular stability, bond strength, and intermolecular interactions using various analytical techniques, including MEPs, ELF maps, NBO, QTAIM, Hirshfeld surface, and RDG analyses. These comprehensive findings underscore the potential of Ag-doped NNTs as promising components for drug delivery systems and biosensors in nanomedicine applications, particularly in sensing and catalytic functions for 5-FU molecule encapsulation and detection.

Study of electric field-enhanced mass transfer and Li/Mg separation of N, N-bis (1-methylheptyl) acetamide/TBP-NaFeCl4 composite membrane

Using N,N-bis(1-methylheptyl)acetamide (N503) synergized with TBP-NaFeCl4 (TFe), a ternary composite extraction membrane known as TFeN-PIM was created. Under optimum membrane phase conditions, the mass transfer properties of TFeN-PIM-Li(Ⅰ) and its Li/Mg selective separation performance by electric field augmentation were examined, and confirmed the mechanism of TFeN-PIM-Li(Ⅰ) electric field enhanced mass transfer. The findings demonstrate a homogeneous distribution of [FeCl4-] in the TFeN-PIM membrane phase and a decrease in the water contact angle as the TFe content increases. In the TFeN-PIM membrane, the cation binding order of the composite carrier was H+>Li+>Na+>Mg2+, and the mass transfer was carried out at the interface of the two phases of the membrane through the mechanism of "cation exchange-neutralization", in which Li(Ⅰ) was bonded with the carrier in the form of 2N503-LiFeCl4-2TBP, and showed a fixed-site "hopping" mass transfer characteristics under the reinforcement of electric field. The mass transfer process of the TFeN-PIM- Li(Ⅰ) system under electric field enhancement conforms to the first-order kinetic rate equation, and the voltage (5–45 V) is positively correlated with the permeability coefficient PLi(Ⅰ) but decreases the Li/Mg selectivity of TFeN-PIM. The SLi(Ⅰ)/Mg(Ⅱ) of TFeN-PIM was 9.18 at 3 V. After three cycles of 72 h cycling at 40 V, the decrease rate of PLi(Ⅰ) was <7.42 %, which showed good stability.

Prospects for digital twin technology in the building modular construction and operation phases: A game theory-based analysis

Modular construction and operation significantly impact building lifecycle management, with various stakeholders playing key roles. Digital twin technology emerges as a cutting-edge tool for information exchange, management, and forecasting in the construction sector, offering comprehensive services for diverse stakeholders. However, research primarily explores potential applications and practical solutions, with limited focus on application strategies considering all stakeholders' interests. This gap hinders the transition of digital twin technology from theoretical to practical use. Addressing this, the paper employs game theory to develop models that analyze key stakeholder decisions during the modular construction and operational phases. It creatively introduces mathematical models for complex conditions in the operation phase and conducts numerical simulations. Findings show that the diffusion rate of digital twin technology significantly affects decision-making by main stakeholders in the construction industries in two stages. The diffusion rate in other industries influences the decision of facility management contractors from different backgrounds, yet its implementation ultimately depends on their status and profitability during the operation process. These diffusion rates are influenced by various factors like government subsidies, development costs, and revenues. To enhance the application rate of digital twin technology, the paper suggests initiating pilot projects, creating project pools, expanding industry-university-research collaborations, and implementing subsidies and incentive programs.

Quantitative analysis of the impurities in Etimicin using hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography coupled with charged aerosol detector

Etimicin is a typical aminoglycoside antibiotic (AG). High performance liquid chromatography-evaporation light scattering detector (HPLC-ELSD) method is a commonly used method for determining impurities in Etimicin. However, due to the poor reproducibility, low sensitivity and narrow linear range of the ELSD, high-throughput quantitative analysis of impurities in Etimicin currently poses a challenge. In this study, a sensitive method using hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography coupled with charged aerosol detector (HILIC-CAD) was developed for the analysis of the impurities in Etimicin. The liquid phase conditions for determination impurities in Etimicin were optimized using Box Behnken design (BBD) and response surface methodology (RSM), resulting in satisfactory separation and optimal CAD output signal. We also studied the influence of CAD parameters on the signal-to-noise ratio and linearity of Etimicin and its impurities. This method has also been proven to be effective in separating impurities from two other typical AGs, Isepamicin and Amikacin. In the method validation, the coefficient of determination (R2) of Etimicin, Isepamicin and Amikacin and their impurities were all greater than 0.999, within the range of 0.5–50 μg/mL. The average recoveries of the impurities of three typical AGs were 99.03 %-101.22 %, RSDs all were less than 2.5 % for intra-day and inter-day precision, with good precision and accuracy. The developed HILIC-CAD quantification method was sensitive, accurate and highly selective for quantitative analysis of impurities in the AGs without need ion-pairing reagents, which is ensure the public medication safety. The method is first reported application of HILIC-CAD method for quantitative analysis of the impurities in AGs.

A batch screening technique for the calculation of chromatographic separability

This paper employs a high-throughput parallel batch (microtiter plate) adsorption screen with sequential salt step increases to rapidly generate protein elution profiles for multiple resins at different pHs using a protein library. The chromatographic set used in this work includes single mode, multimodal anion-exchange (MMA), and multimodal cation-exchange (MMC) resins. The protein library consists of proteins with isoelectric points ranging from 5.1 to 11.4 with varying hydrophobicities as determined by their retention on hydrophobic interaction chromatography. The batch sequential experiments are carried out using one protein at a time with a wide set of resins at multiple pH conditions, thus enabling simple microtiter plate detection. A mathematical formulation is then used to determine the first moment of the distributions from each chromatogram (sequential step elution) generated in the parallel batch experiments. Batch data first moments (expressed in salt concentration) are then compared to results obtained from column linear salt gradient elution, and the techniques are shown to be consistent. In addition, first moment data are used to calculate one-resin separability scores, which are a measure of a resin's ability, at a specified pH, to separate the entire set of proteins in the library from one another. Again, the results from the batch and column experiments are shown to be comparable. The first moment data sets were then employed to calculate the two-resin separability scores, which are a measure of the ability of two resins to synergistically separate the entire set of proteins in the library. Importantly, these results based on the two-resin separability performances derived from the batch and column experiments were again shown to be consistent. This approach for rapidly screening large numbers of chromatographic resins and mobile phase conditions for their elution behavior may prove useful for enabling the rapid discovery of new chromatographic ligands and resins.

Environmental Exhaust Emissions reduction and Performance Improvement Analysis of biodiesel operated Diesel Engine Performance Using Operating Parameters

&lt;p style="margin-top:3px; margin-bottom:3px; text-align:justify; text-indent:31.5pt"&gt;The present investigation aims to study the performance and emission characteristics of a CI DI diesel engine using biodiesel blends derived from Jatropha seed feedstock. Four blends, namely B25, B50, B75, and B100, are employed as fuels to run the diesel engine at a rated speed of 1500 rpm, and their performance and emission characteristics are determined under different operating conditions in the first phase. The blend B25 of JME is found to be the optimum blend, and the optimum compression ratio is found to be 18.5.The optimum blend exhibits better performance in terms of brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) and brake thermal efficiency (BTHE), along with a decline in the emissions of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbons (HC), except for the emission of nitrogen oxides (NOX) at the optimum compression ratio of 18.5. At maximum load, with a compression ratio of 18.5, the optimum blend results in better BSFC and BTHE, which are 0.255 kg/kW-hr and 31.87%, respectively.&lt;/p&gt;

Sensitivity of optimal double-layer grid designs to geometrical imperfections and geometric nonlinearity conditions in the analysis phase

Sensitivity of optimal double-layer grid designs to geometrical imperfections and geometric nonlinearity conditions in the analysis phase

THERAPEUTIC APPROACH IN COEXISTENCE OF AVOIDANT PERSONALITY DISORDER AND PSYCHOTIC STRUCTURE IN ITS EARLY MANIFESTATIONS: A CASE REPORT

Introduction: The first manifestations of a psychotic structure, generally in adolescence or early adulthood, are an important milestone in an individual's life. But, considering the concomitant signs and symptoms of an avoidant personality disorder can appear since childhood, there is a demand for more targeted and delicate attention from the team of healthcare professionals. Case summary: During the monitoring of the patient, a series of clinical signs and symptoms appeared that met the criteria of two simultaneous psychic conditions, one of them structural and the other personality related. With the aforementioned diagnoses, specific new pharmacological treatment tests were carried out, carrying positive effects and improving the patient's quality of life (introduction of antipsychotics instead of antidepressants as the pivot of therapy). Discussion: the onset of a psychotic condition in the trema phase associated with pre-existing avoidant/avoidant personality disorder demands balanced management between both conditions, using the strategies offered by both pharmacotherapies and psychotherapies. Conclusion: in order to adopt an appropriate treatment and management of the case, due to the complexity of diagnostic simultaneity, constant attention is required from the assistant team, so that continuous reassessments of hypotheses are made and, therefore, adjustments whenever necessary.

The use of xanthan gum in a milk-containing ice cream with the whey protein microparticulate

Hydrocolloids of stabilization systems are necessary components in ice cream production. They influence viscosity, stabilization of structural elements and melting rate. Their role is especially important in production of ice cream with the low content of fat and nonfat milk solids. Today, specialized stabilization systems for production of such ice cream are absent. Moreover, when choosing stabilization systems, there are problems of economic character that are linked with an increase in prices on the effective polysaccharide — locust bean gum. The aim of the research was substantiation of the composition of the effective formulation of hydrocolloids using their available variety, xanthan gum, to use in production of milk-containing ice cream (with the reduced content of fat and dry nonfat milk substances). To achieve the best quality indicators, a whey protein microparticulate was introduced into milk-containing ice cream. Based on the synergetic properties of hydrocolloids in terms of dynamic viscosity, the composition of four formulations was determined with the content of xanthan gum of 8.6% (in samples 1 and 2), 16% (in sample 3) and 3% (in sample 4). Ice cream with the complex stabilization system of the trademark Cremodan 334 was produced as a control sample. The following indicators were determined in all samples: dynamic viscosity, viscoelastic characteristics (hardness, adhesion strength, gumminess), melting rate, condition and dispersity of the air phase and ice crystals. All developed formulations were superior to the control sample in terms of viscosity by 1.2–2 times. It has been found that replacement of the kappa-carrageenan fraction with iota-carrageenan in combination with guar gum and xanthan gum in an amount of 50% leads to a decrease in viscosity by 1.3 times. A reduction of visco-elastic characteristics was noted in the samples of hydrocolloid formulations under study. When using iota-carrageenan (samples 2 and 4), a notable reduction of thermal stability of ice cream was revealed in sample 4. Furthermore, a decrease in dispersity of the air phase was observed; the content of air bubbles with a size of 50 µm reduced by almost 30%. Based on the results of the investigations, it has been established that the formulation of hydrocolloids of ice cream sample 1, which consists of mono- and di-glycerides of fatty acids, guar gum, xanthan gum and kappa-carrageenan, allows obtaining a product with technologically necessary quality indicators and the most cream-like consistency.

Effects of a Spike-Annealed HfO2 Gate Dielectric Layer on the On-Resistance and Interface Quality of AlGaN/GaN High-Electron-Mobility Transistors

Various high-k dielectrics have been proposed for AlGaN/GaN MOSHEMTs for gate leakage and drain-current collapse suppression. Hafnium oxide (HfO2) is particularly interesting because of its large bandgap, high dielectric constant, and ferroelectricity under specific phase and doping conditions. However, defects and surface scattering caused by HfO2 dissimilarity and degraded HfO2/GaN interface quality still leave the challenge of reducing the SS and Ron. In this study, we investigated the effects of the first spike-annealed HfO2 (6 nm) layer, compared with the conventional ALD-HfO2 (6 nm) layer in the HfO2 bilayer gate dielectric structure on AlGaN/GaN HEMTs. Both devices exhibit negligible hysteresis and near-ideal (~60 mV/dec) subthreshold slopes of more than three orders of magnitude. The device with the first annealed HfO2 layer exhibited a reduced Ron with notably less gate bias dependency and enhanced output current. On the other hand, the capacitance–voltage and conductance methods revealed that the border and interface trap densities of the device were inferior to those of the conventional HfO2 layer. The trade-off between enhanced electrical performance and oxide traps is discussed based on these results.

Importance of Blood Glucose Measurement for Predicting the Prognosis of Long COVID: A Retrospective Study in Japan.

Purpose: The present study aimed to clarify the effects of a hyperglycemic condition on the clinical consequences of long COVID. Methods: Among 643 patients who visited the outpatient clinic of our hospital from February 2021 to September 2023, long COVID patients were classified into a hyperglycemic (HG) group with casual blood glucose levels above 140 mg/dL and a normoglycemic (NG) group. The patients' backgrounds, clinical symptoms, health status including the QOL evaluation scale (EQ-5D-5L), self-rating depression scale (SDS), and F-scale questionnaire (FSSG), blood test data, and recovery periods were analyzed. Results: The NG group included 607 patients with long COVID and the HG group included 36 patients with long COVID. Patients in the HG group were older than those in the NG group (55 vs. 41 years; p < 0.001) and included a larger percentage of males (67% vs. 44%; p = 0.009). The HG group had a larger percentage of patients with moderate-to-severe conditions in the acute infection phase (28% vs. 12%; p = 0.008), a higher BMI (25 vs. 22 kg/m2; p < 0.001), higher blood pressure (138/81 vs. 122/72 mmHg; p < 0.001), and a larger percentage of patients with an alcohol drinking habit (53% vs. 34%; p = 0.031). Long COVID symptoms and self-rated scales were not differed between the two groups; however, the laboratory data showed that liver and renal functions and metabolic data were significantly worse in the HG group. Although there was no apparent difference between the two groups in duration from the infection to the first visit, the HG group had a significantly longer period of recovery from long COVID (median period of 421 vs. 294 days; p = 0.019). Conclusion: A hyperglycemic state associated with other lifestyle-related diseases is associated with the prolongation of recovery from long COVID.

Manipulating chiral Majorana mode with additional potential in superconductor-Chern insulator heterostructures

We employed the self-consistent Bogoliubov–de Gennes equations to explore the states of chiral Majorana mode in quantum anomalous Hall insulators in proximity to a superconductor, leading to the development of an extensive topological phase diagram. Our investigation focused on how an additional potential affects the separation of chiral Majorana modes across different phase conditions. We substantiated our findings by examining the zero-energy Local Density of States spectrum and the probability distribution of the chiral Majorana modes. We established the universality of chiral Majorana mode separation by applying an additional potential. This finding serves as a vital resource for future endeavors aimed at controlling and detecting these particles, thereby contributing to the advancement of quantum computing and condensed matter physics.

Synchronization of four unalike local coupled phase oscillators in a ring: Analytic formulas for the critical coupling and phase differences

There is no universal technique in statistical mechanics to analytically solve the problem of dissimilar adjacent coupled phase oscillators in a ring at the switch to synchrony. The solution to the four oscillators′ case presents a first step to constructing a regular method based on unscrambling the sync dynamics of a few oscillators. The local interaction between the adjacent oscillators and the periodic boundary conditions introduce finer points to the synchronicity. We notice that the synchronized state has different noticeable characteristics depending on the arrangements of the primary frequencies. This, in turn, yields an involvedness in obtaining an analytic solution. To overcome the difficulty, we classify the twenty-four possible arrangements for the four local coupled phase oscillators in a ring into three classes. Consequently, we introduce a method to rearrange the initial frequencies into consecutive pairs of nearest-neighbor elements for all three classes. Thus, we can define the effective parameters (in terms of the sequential couples of adjacent oscillators) that rule the solution for the oscillators in a ring. Furthermore, the unison behavior resulting from coupling emerges when a clearly defined phase lock condition develops. We utilize the phase condition and trigonometric identities to find a soluble-effortless relation. Consequently, we derive an analytic expression that predicts the threshold coupling for each class when the oscillators synchronize. The formula for the critical factor allows us to obtain usable expressions to determine the phase differences at the transition into a sync stage. Therefore, we figure out the sync mechanism a priori, knowing the initial frequencies.

Effect of pH, Temperature, and Salinity Levels on Heavy Metal Fraction in Lake Sediments.

Heavy metals (HMs) in aquatic environments are characterized by high toxicity, a propensity for bioaccumulation, and non-degradability, and pose significant risks to biological communities. Previous studies of HMs in lakes have shown that the physical and chemical characteristics of the lake water may control both the migration of HMs in the sediments and the concentration of heavy metals in the lake water. In fact, the change in aquatic environments changes the heavy metal fraction in the sediment, which controls the release of HMs. In this paper, we investigated the effects of the pH, temperature, and salinity levels of overlying water on the chemical fraction of Cu and Zn in Wuliangsuhai Lake surface sediments. The results show that lower water pH and higher water salinity and temperature could increase Cu and Zn release from the sediment. An increase in pH led to changes in the speciation of solid fractions of Zn, namely increases in the residual fraction and decreases in the organic matter and sulfide, whereas acid-extractable and Fe-Mn oxide fractions remained largely the same. Increases in temperature and salinity led to opposite changes in the speciation of solid fractions, namely decreases in the residual fraction and increases in the organic matter and sulfide and Fe-Mn oxide fractions, whereas acid-extractable fractions remained largely the same. The effect of pH, temperature, and salinity on Cu fractions in the solids was much smaller. According to the ratio of the secondary phase to the primary phase (RSP), acidic, high-temperature, and high-salt conditions increase the release risks of Zn. Changes in water temperature have the greatest influence on the risk of Zn and Cu release from sediments, followed by the influence of salinity changes.

Addressing a major interference in the quantification of psilocin in mouse plasma: Development of a validated liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method

Psilocybin is a psychedelic compound found in some hallucinogenic “magic mushrooms”. Psilocin is the active metabolite of Psilocybin, and it is the subject of several studies for the treatment of psychological disorders, such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. As such, the pharmacokinetic properties of psilocin should be evaluated to ensure its safety and efficacy as part of the drug development process. Based on the previously published studies, reversed-phase liquid chromatography (LC) was tested for psilocin quantification. The analysis, however, showed a major interference in mouse plasma that was not, to the best of our knowledge, reported previously. We, therefore, aimed to identify and separate the interference, using various chromatographic columns, mobile phase conditions, and mass spectrometers (MS) instruments. Chromatographic separation was achieved on an ultra high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) system, and a quadrupole-linear ion trap equipped with an electrospray ionization (ESI) source was used in positive ion mode with multiple reaction monitoring (MRM). Several chromatographic conditions and column chemistries, including C-18 and Phenyl-hexyl were initially tested, and failed to separate the interference. Exact mass measurement and MS/MS analysis were used to determine the structure of the interfering compound, which was confirmed to be tryptophan. Using the identified structure of the interfering compound, a fast and reliable hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC)-MS/MS method was developed and validated, that was capable of separating psilocin from the interference while achieving a 0.5 ng/ml lower limit of quantification (LLOQ). The validated method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study where psilocin was orally administered to C57BL/6 mouse subjects. Psilocin concentration in all the analyzed mouse plasma samples was successfully determined.

Effectiveness of cognitive reappraisal and distraction for induced acute pain: A laboratory study.

Cognitive reappraisal and distraction modulate pain; however, little is known about their effectiveness at different levels of pain intensity. Thus, the aim of this study has been to analyze the differential efficacy of both strategies to reduce perceived pain intensity and pain unpleasantness in low and moderate pain levels. 3 (emotion regulation strategy: cognitive reappraisal, distraction, and control) × 2 (intensity of the painful stimuli: low and moderate intensity) × 2 (time: pretest and posttest) mixed factorial design. Ninety healthy adults were randomly assigned to one of six experimental conditions. Pain-heat stimuli were administered with an advanced thermal stimulator. All participants completed the experimental pretest and posttest phases; in each phase, 12 pain stimuli were administered. Participants received brief training on how to apply cognitive reappraisal, distraction, and the control condition for the posttest phase. Data were collected from May 2022 to November 2022. Analyses of repeated-measure analysis of variance showed that at posttest cognitive reappraisal and distraction were equally effective in reducing perceived pain intensity in low pain levels, while distraction was more effective than cognitive reappraisal in decreasing perceived pain intensity in moderate pain levels. Both distraction and cognitive reappraisal were effective in decreasing pain unpleasantness regardless of the intensity of the painful stimuli. These findings highlighted the beneficial use of both strategies in the short term for pain relief, distraction being more effective in moderate pain levels. Applying both strategies to everyday situations that may cause short-term acute pain could be of great clinical relevance. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Improving processing speed in adolescents at clinical high risk for psychosis with the Specific COgnitive REmediation plus Surround (SCORES) intervention: Study protocol.

Recent preventative approaches with young people at clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR-P) have focused on the remediation of the cognitive deficits that are readily apparent and predictive of future illness. However, the small number of trials using cognitive remediation with CHR-P individuals have reported mixed results. The proposed 2-phased study will test an innovative internet-based and remotely-delivered Specific COgnitive REmediation plus Surround (or SCORES) intervention that targets early processing speed deficits in CHR-P adolescents aged 14-20 years old. In the first R61 phase, a single-arm 2-year proof of concept study, 30 CHR-P individuals will receive SCORES for 10 weeks (4 h per week/40 h total) with a midpoint assessment at 20 h (5 weeks) to demonstrate target engagement and identify the optimal dose needed to engage the target. The Go/No-Go criteria to move to the R33 phase will be processing speed scores improving by a medium effect size (Cohen's d ≥ .6). The proposed package includes a set of complimentary support surround procedures to increase enjoyment and ensure that participants will complete the home-based training. In the second R33 phase, a 3-year pilot study, we will replicate target engagement in a new and larger sample of 54 CHR-P individuals randomized to SCORES (optimized dose) or to a video game playing control condition. In addition, the R33 phase will determine if changes in processing speed are associated with improved social functioning and decreasing attenuated positive symptoms. The support surround components of the intervention will remain constant across phases and conditions in the R33 phase to firmly establish the centrality of processing speed training for successful remediation. The SCORES study is a completely virtual intervention that targets a core cognitive mechanism, processing speed, which is a rate-limiting factor to higher order behaviours and clinical outcomes in CHR-P adolescents. The virtual nature of this study should increase feasibility as well improve the future scalability of the intervention with considerable potential for future dissemination as a complete treatment package.

Mode-hop-free tunable high-power distributed feedback laser with adaptable rear facet phase shift section emitting at 780 nm.

We present a high-power ridge waveguide distributed feedback (DFB) laser with a high-reflective coating and a phase shift section at the rear facet. The phase shift section is realized by means of a micro heater that is placed parallel to the ridge waveguide and the uniform grating. This type of heater section is easy to integrate into existing laser designs and allows adjusting and controlling the spectral behavior of the distributed feedback laser by shifting the rear facet phase condition, which makes it possible to overcome the challenges of mode-hop-free tuning of regular DFB lasers with highly reflective cleaved rear facet. Accordingly, we use the device to quantify rear facet phase conditions where mode hops occur, which are compared to theory with good agreement.