High performance architecture design for large scale fibre-optic sensor arrays using distributed EDFAs and hybrid TDM/DWDM

A distributed amplified dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) array architecture is presented for interferometric fibre optic sensor array systems. This architecture employs a distributed erbium doped fibre amplifier (EDFA) scheme to decrease the array insertion loss, and employs time division multiplexing (TDM) at each wavelength to increase the number of sensors that can be supported. The first experimental demonstration of this system is reported including results which show the potential for multiplexing and interrogating up to 4096 sensors using a single telemetry fibre pair with good system performance. The number can be increased to 8192 by using dual pump sources

Long-term performance of surface impregnation of reinforced concrete structures with silane

The South Asia Research and Information Institute (SARII) in Dallas, Texas, USA, organizes a one-day conference on ”Cities, Courts, and Saints: Muslim Cultures of South Asia” on Saturday 22 September 2012, 09.00–17.00. The conference is co-organised by the The Asian Studies Program at Southern Methodist University, also in Dallas. Venue for the  conference: McCord Auditorium, Dallas Hall, Southern Methodist University. his conference brings together the leading historians of South Asia and sp..

Multi-layered control of Galectin-8 mediated autophagy during adenovirus cell entry through a conserved PPxY motif in the viral capsid.

Cells employ active measures to restrict infection by pathogens, even prior to responses from the innate and humoral immune defenses. In this context selective autophagy is activated upon pathogen induced membrane rupture to sequester and deliver membrane fragments and their pathogen contents for lysosomal degradation. Adenoviruses, which breach the endosome upon entry, escape this fate by penetrating into the cytosol prior to autophagosome sequestration of the ruptured endosome. We show that virus induced membrane damage is recognized through Galectin-8 and sequesters the autophagy receptors NDP52 and p62. We further show that a conserved PPxY motif in the viral membrane lytic protein VI is critical for efficient viral evasion of autophagic sequestration after endosomal lysis. Comparing the wildtype with a PPxY-mutant virus we show that depletion of Galectin-8 or suppression of autophagy in ATG5-/- MEFs rescues infectivity of the PPxY-mutant virus while depletion of the autophagy receptors NDP52, p62 has only minor effects. Furthermore we show that wildtype viruses exploit the autophagic machinery for efficient nuclear genome delivery and control autophagosome formation via the cellular ubiquitin ligase Nedd4.2 resulting in reduced antigenic presentation. Our data thus demonstrate that a short PPxY-peptide motif in the adenoviral capsid permits multi-layered viral control of autophagic processes during entry

Quantification of pulmonary perfusion in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis with first pass dynamic contrast-enhanced perfusion MRI

Introduction Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fatal disease of lung scarring. Many patients later develop raised pulmonary vascular pressures, sometimes disproportionate to the interstitial disease. Previous therapeutic approaches that have targeted pulmonary vascular changes have not demonstrated clinical efficacy, and quantitative assessment of regional pulmonary vascular involvement using perfusion imaging may provide a biomarker for further therapeutic insights. Methods We studied 23 participants with IPF, using dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) and pulmonary function tests, including forced vital capacity (FVC), transfer factor (TLCO) and coefficient (KCO) of the lungs for carbon monoxide. DCE-MRI parametric maps were generated including the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the bolus transit time through the lungs. Key metrics used were mean (FWHMmean) and heterogeneity (FWHMIQR). Nineteen participants returned at 6 months for repeat assessment. Results Spearman correlation coefficients were identified between TLCO and FWHMIQR (r=−0.46; p=0.026), KCO and FWHMmean (r=−0.42; p=0.047) and KCO and FWHMIQR (r=−0.51; p=0.013) at baseline. No statistically significant correlations were seen between FVC and DCE-MRI metrics. Follow-up at 6 months demonstrated statistically significant decline in FVC (p=0.040) and KCO (p=0.014), with an increase in FWHMmean (p=0.040), but no significant changes in TLCO (p=0.090) nor FWHMIQR (p=0.821). Conclusions DCE-MRI first pass perfusion demonstrates correlations with existing physiological gas exchange metrics, suggesting that capillary perfusion deficit (as well as impaired interstitial diffusion) may contribute to gas exchange limitation in IPF. FWHMmean showed a significant increase over a 6-month period and has potential as a quantitative biomarker of pulmonary vascular disease progression in IPF

Hyperpolarised xenon magnetic resonance spectroscopy for the longitudinal assessment of changes in gas diffusion in IPF

Prognosticating idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is challenging, in part due to a lack of sensitive biomarkers. A recent article in Thorax described how hyperpolarised xenon magnetic resonance spectroscopy may quantify regional gas exchange in IPF lungs. In a population of patients with IPF, we find that the xenon signal from red blood cells diminishes relative to the tissue/plasma signal over a 12-month time period, even when the diffusion factor for carbon monoxide is static over the same time period. We conclude that hyperpolarised 129Xe MR spectroscopy may be sensitive to short-term changes in interstitial gas diffusion in IPF

Long-term performance of surface impregnation of reinforced concrete structures with silane

This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in the journal, Construction and Building Materials. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2013.07.038Silanes can act as hydrophobic pore liners for reinforced concrete (RC) structures. They can significantly reduce the depth of chloride penetration, a major cause of steel reinforcement corrosion. However, there is little published information on their long-term performance. Thirty-two concrete cores were extracted from eight full-scale RC bridge supporting cross-beams that were treated with silane 20 years ago. Their water absorption by capillarity was measured and compared with sixteen control cores extracted from four non-silane treated RC cross-beams constructed at the same time. Results show that silanes may provide a residual protective effect against water even after 20 years of service

Measurement of the polarisation of W bosons produced with large transverse momentum in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV with the ATLAS experiment

This paper describes an analysis of the angular distribution of W->enu and W->munu decays, using data from pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC in 2010, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of about 35 pb^-1. Using the decay lepton transverse momentum and the missing transverse energy, the W decay angular distribution projected onto the transverse plane is obtained and analysed in terms of helicity fractions f0, fL and fR over two ranges of W transverse momentum (ptw): 35 < ptw < 50 GeV and ptw > 50 GeV. Good agreement is found with theoretical predictions. For ptw > 50 GeV, the values of f0 and fL-fR, averaged over charge and lepton flavour, are measured to be : f0 = 0.127 +/- 0.030 +/- 0.108 and fL-fR = 0.252 +/- 0.017 +/- 0.030, where the first uncertainties are statistical, and the second include all systematic effects.Comment: 19 pages plus author list (34 pages total), 9 figures, 11 tables, revised author list, matches European Journal of Physics C versio