Crosstalk of passive directional couplers

Crosstalk in directional couplers (DC's) is an important parameter for device and system performance. Although various crosstalk mechanisms have been studied through the course of integrated optics, the fundamental lower limit for crosstalk is still uncertain. In this paper, crosstalk mechanisms are reviewed and fundamental limits are discussed. A new model for optical scattering is presented, and the effect of bending loss variation between the two propagating modes in the taper region on the crosstalk is discussed     

A portable Raman acoustic levitation spectroscopic system for the identification and environmental monitoring of algal cells

We report the coupling of a portable Raman spectrometer to an acoustic levitation device to enable environmental monitoring and the potential taxonomic identification of microalgae. Spectra of living cells were recorded at 785 nm using a fiber-optic probe coupled to a portable Raman spectrometer. The spectra exhibit an excellent signal-to-noise ratio and clearly show bands from chlorophyll a and beta-carotene. Spectra of levitated photobleached microalgae clearly show a reduction in chlorophyll a concentration relative to beta-carotene after 10 min of exposure to a quartz halogen lamp. Spectra recorded from levitated nitrogen-limited cells also show a significant reduction in bands associated with chlorophyll a, as compared to nitrogen-replete cells. To investigate the diagnostic capability of the technique, four species of microalgae were analyzed. Good quality spectra of all four species were obtained showing varying ratios of beta-carotene to chlorophyll. The combination of an acoustic levitation device and a portable Raman spectrometer shows potential as a taxonomic and environmental monitoring tool with direct application to field studies in remote environments.     

Using tuple-spaces to manage the storage and dissemination of spatial–temporal content

Structured, spatial–temporal content arises in application areas such as mobile computing, intelligent transportation, urban mobility, and ubiquitous sensing. For the distributed storage and dissemination of such content, peer-to-peer solutions appear to be the natural choice. However, a closer analysis shows that distributed hash tables (DHT) alone are not enough: firstly, they do not maintain the original data structure needed to efficiently access the comprising attributes, and secondly, they lead to high signaling traffic when the data is short lived, such as in high mobility scenarios. In order to address these two problems we propose a novel content dissemination architecture based on an overlay of space-based containers. Furthermore, we apply the proposed concept to realize a concrete application in the field of intelligent transportation, and present the results of the performance evaluation conducted with the system prototype.     

Optimization of material parameters in 1.3-/spl mu/m InGaAsN-GaAs lasers

We use a 10-band k/spl middot/p Hamiltonian to investigate gain characteristics of 1.3- /spl mu/m InGaAsN-GaAs 7-nm quantum-well lasers as a function of indium and nitrogen content. The parameters used were obtained by comparison with experimental transition energy data and fitting to measured spontaneous-emission line broadening. We conclude that optimum device performance is obtained by including the minimum amount of nitrogen necessary to prevent strain relaxation at the given well thickness.     

GMPLS and ASON for automatic switched transport networks

In automatic switched transport networks (ASTN), transport services of different granularity can be set up, modified and released on demand, using mechanisms in the control plane. Currently, this novel provisioning paradigm is being standardized under the umbrella of the automatic switched optical network (ASON) and the generalized multiprotocol label switching (GMPLS) framework. This paper gives an overview of the concepts and open issues of ASON and GMPLS at the current stage of their development.     

Neutralizing human monoclonal antibodies binding multiple serotypes of botulinum neurotoxin

Botulism, a disease of humans characterized by prolonged paralysis, is caused by botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs), the most poisonous substances known. There are seven serotypes of BoNT (A-G) which differ from each other by 34-64% at the amino acid level. Each serotype is uniquely recognized by polyclonal antibodies, which originally were used to classify serotypes. To determine if there existed monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) capable of binding two or more serotypes, we evaluated the ability of 35 yeast-displayed single-chain variable fragment antibodies generated from vaccinated humans or mice for their ability to bind multiple BoNT serotypes. Two such clonally related human mAbs (1B18 and 4E17) were identified that bound BoNT serotype A (BoNT/A) and B or BoNT/A, B, E and F, respectively, with high affinity. Using molecular evolution techniques, it proved possible to both increase affinity and maintain cross-serotype reactivity for the 4E17 mAb. Both 1B18 and 4E17 bound to a relatively conserved epitope at the tip of the BoNT translocation domain. Immunoglobulin G constructed from affinity matured variants of 1B18 and 4E17 were evaluated for their ability to neutralize BoNT/B and E, respectively, in vivo. Both antibodies potently neutralized BoNT in vivo demonstrating that this epitope is functionally important in the intoxication pathway. Such cross-serotype binding and neutralizing mAbs should simplify the development of antibody-based BoNT diagnostics and therapeutics.     

Middleware Challenges in Robotic Fleets for Precision Agriculture

The past decade has witnessed a huge increase in the number of proposed middleware solutions for robotic fleets operating in unstructured environments. As a result, it has become difficult to decide which middleware is the most appropriate for a specific application or application domain. In this paper we first extract a set of common and specific challenges that middlewares address, and group them according to the source domain they have originated within. These challenges are derived from a specific precision agriculture use-case based on the robotic fleet for weed control elaborated within the European project RHEA-robot fleets for highly effective agriculture and forestry management. Furthermore, the paper provides an analysis of a number of different middlewares and suggests a set of criteria for systemizing representative solutions. The aim of this analysis is to assist the process of finding an adequate middleware for a specific application domain.     

An Adaptive Resonator-Based Method for Power Measurements According to the IEEE Trial-Use Standard 1459–2000

This paper proposes an accurate and computationally efficient implementation of the IEEE Standard 1459–2000 for power measurements. The algorithm has two stages. In the first algorithm stage, the voltage and current signals are processed in parallel, and their spectrums are estimated independently of each other. Signal harmonics are estimated in a wide range of frequency using an efficient algorithm with reduced complexity. The algorithm is based on a recently introduced common structure for recursive discrete transforms and consists of digital resonators embedded in a common negative feedback loop. In the second algorithm stage, the unknown power components and other power quality indices are calculated according to definitions in the IEEE Standard 1459–2000. To demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed algorithm, the results of computer simulations and laboratory testing are presented. The laboratory results show accurate input power component estimates for a nonlinear load with rapid input current amplitude changes. In addition, a simple LabView implementation, based on the point-by-point processing feature, demonstrates the technique's modest computation requirements and confirms that the proposed algorithm is suitable for real-time applications.      

Non-Invasive Preimplantation Genetic Testing for Aneuploidy and the Mystery of Genetic Material: A Review Article

This review focuses on recent findings in the preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) of embryos. Different preimplantation genetic tests are presented along with different genetic materials and their analysis. Original material concerning preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) was sourced by searching the PubMed and ScienceDirect databases in October and November 2021. The searches comprised keywords such as ‘preimplantation’, ‘cfDNA’; ‘miRNA’, ‘PGT-A’, ‘niPGT-A’, ‘aneuploidy’, ‘mosaicism’, ‘blastocyst biopsy’, ‘blastocentesis’, ‘blastocoel fluid’, ‘NGS’, ‘FISH’, and ‘aCGH’. Non-invasive PGT-A (niPGT-A) is a novel approach to the genetic analysis of embryos. The premise is that the genetic material in the spent embryo culture media (SECM) corresponds to the genetic material in the embryo cells. The limitations of niPGT-A are a lower quantity and lesser quality of the cell-free genetic material, and its unknown origin. The concordance rate varies when compared to invasive PGT-A. Some authors have also hypothesized that mosaicism and aneuploid cells are preferentially excluded from the embryo during early development. Cell-free genetic material is readily available in the spent embryo culture media, which provides an easier, more economic, and safer extraction of genetic material for analysis. The sampling of the SECM and DNA extraction and amplification must be optimized. The origin of the cell-free media, the percentage of apoptotic events, and the levels of DNA contamination are currently unknown; these topics need to be further investigated.     

舞动的丝带

现实的当代社会已经无法再依赖于传统而静态的建筑和空间。科技发展已经为世界带来了新的动态及节奏,并改变了我们的生活和对空间的思考。新的未曾预料的界限已经为已知世界带来了影响。项目＂舞动的丝带＂由于其可折叠性及适应性而完全不可预料,事实上,你永远无法真正知晓它将在哪里以何种形式提供何种服务。