University of Wisconsin-Madison

About: University of Wisconsin-Madison is a education organization based out in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Gene. The organization has 108707 authors who have published 237594 publications receiving 11883575 citations.

Enhancement of ferroelectricity in strained BaTiO3 thin films.

Abstract: Biaxial compressive strain has been used to markedly enhance the ferroelectric properties of BaTiO 3 thin films. This strain, imposed by coherent epitaxy, can result in a ferroelectric transition temperature nearly 500°C higher and a remanent polarization at least 250% higher than bulk BaTiO 3 single crystals. This work demonstrates a route to a lead-free ferroelectric for nonvolatile memories and electro-optic devices.

Tensor completion for estimating missing values in visual data

Abstract: In this paper, we propose an algorithm to estimate missing values in tensors of visual data. The values can be missing due to problems in the acquisition process or because the user manually identified unwanted outliers. Our algorithm works even with a small amount of samples and it can propagate structure to fill larger missing regions. Our methodology is built on recent studies about matrix completion using the matrix trace norm. The contribution of our paper is to extend the matrix case to the tensor case by proposing the first definition of the trace norm for tensors and then by building a working algorithm. First, we propose a definition for the tensor trace norm that generalizes the established definition of the matrix trace norm. Second, similarly to matrix completion, the tensor completion is formulated as a convex optimization problem. Unfortunately, the straightforward problem extension is significantly harder to solve than the matrix case because of the dependency among multiple constraints. To tackle this problem, we developed three algorithms: simple low rank tensor completion (SiLRTC), fast low rank tensor completion (FaLRTC), and high accuracy low rank tensor completion (HaLRTC). The SiLRTC algorithm is simple to implement and employs a relaxation technique to separate the dependant relationships and uses the block coordinate descent (BCD) method to achieve a globally optimal solution; the FaLRTC algorithm utilizes a smoothing scheme to transform the original nonsmooth problem into a smooth one and can be used to solve a general tensor trace norm minimization problem; the HaLRTC algorithm applies the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMMs) to our problem. Our experiments show potential applications of our algorithms and the quantitative evaluation indicates that our methods are more accurate and robust than heuristic approaches. The efficiency comparison indicates that FaLTRC and HaLRTC are more efficient than SiLRTC and between FaLRTC and HaLRTC the former is more efficient to obtain a low accuracy solution and the latter is preferred if a high-accuracy solution is desired.

Opioid complications and side effects.

Abstract: Medications which bind to opioid receptors are increasingly being prescribed for the treatment of multiple and diverse chronic painful conditions. Their use for acute pain or terminal pain is well accepted. Their role in the long-term treatment of chronic noncancer pain is, however, controversial for many reasons. One of the primary reasons is the well-known phenomenon of psychological addiction that can occur with the use of these medications. Abuse and diversion of these medications is a growing problem as the availability of these medications increases and this public health issue confounds their clinical utility. Also, the extent of their efficacy in the treatment of pain when utilized on a chronic basis has not been definitively proven. Lastly, the role of opioids in the treatment of chronic pain is also influenced by the fact that these potent analgesics are associated with a significant number of side effects and complications. It is these phenomena that are the focus of this review. Common side effects of opioid administration include sedation, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, constipation, physical dependence, tolerance, and respiratory depression. Physical dependence and addiction are clinical concerns that may prevent proper prescribing and in turn inadequate pain management. Less common side effects may include delayed gastric emptying, hyperalgesia, immunologic and hormonal dysfunction, muscle rigidity, and myoclonus. The most common side effects of opioid usage are constipation (which has a very high incidence) and nausea. These 2 side effects can be difficult to manage and frequently tolerance to them does not develop; this is especially true for constipation. They may be severe enough to require opioid discontinuation, and contribute to under-dosing and inadequate analgesia. Several clinical trials are underway to identify adjunct therapies that may mitigate these side effects. Switching opioids and/or routes of administration may also provide benefits for patients. Proper patient screening, education, and preemptive treatment of potential side effects may aid in maximizing effectiveness while reducing the severity of side effects and adverse events. Opioids can be considered broad spectrum analgesic agents, affecting a wide number of organ systems and influencing a large number of body functions.

Elections and Macroeconomic Policy Cycles

Abstract: There is an extensive empirical literature on political business cycles, but its theoretical foundations are grounded in pre-rational expectations macroeconomic theory. Here we show that electoral cycles in taxes, government spending and money growth can be modeled as an equilibrium signaling process. The cycle is driven by temporary information asymmetries which can arise if, for example, the government has more current information on its performance in providing for national defence. Incumbents cheat least when their private information is either extremely favourable or extremely unfavourable. An exogeneous increase in the incumbent party's popularity does not necessarily imply a damped policy cycle.

The role of the media in body image concerns among women: A meta-analysis of experimental and correlational studies.

Abstract: Research suggests that exposure to mass media depicting the thin-ideal body may be linked to body image disturbance in women. This meta-analysis examined experimental and correlational studies testing the links between media exposure to women's body dissatisfaction, internalization of the thin ideal, and eating behaviors and beliefs with a sample of 77 studies that yielded 141 effect sizes. The mean effect sizes were small to moderate (ds = -.28, -.39, and -.30, respectively). Effects for some outcome variables were moderated by publication year and study design. The findings support the notion that exposure to media images depicting the thin-ideal body is related to body image concerns for women.