5,277 research outputs found
Recent breakthroughs in carrier depletion based silicon optical modulators
The majority of the most successful optical modulators in silicon demonstrated in recent years operate via the plasma dispersion effect and are more specifically based upon free carrier depletion in a silicon rib waveguide. In this work we overview the different types of free carrier depletion type optical modulators in silicon. A summary of some recent example devices for each configuration is then presented together with the performance that they have achieved. Finally an insight into some current research trends involving silicon based optical modulators is provided including integration, operation in the mid-infrared wavelength range and application in short and long haul data transmission link
Role of Interleukin 17 in arthritis chronicity through survival of synoviocytes via regulation of synoviolin expression
Background:
The use of TNF inhibitors has been a major progress in the treatment of chronic inflammation. However, not all patients respond. In addition, response will be often lost when treatment is stopped. These clinical aspects indicate that other cytokines might be involved and we focus here on the role of IL-17. In addition, the chronic nature of joint inflammation may contribute to reduced response and enhanced chronicity. Therefore we studied the capacity of IL-17 to regulate synoviolin, an E3 ubiquitin ligase implicated in synovial hyperplasia in human rheumatoid arthritis (RA) FLS and in chronic reactivated streptococcal cell wall (SCW)-induced arthritis.<p></p>
Methodology/Principal Findings:
Chronic reactivated SCW-induced arthritis was examined in IL-17R deficient and wild-type mice. Synoviolin expression was analysed by real-time RT-PCR, Western Blot or immunostaining in RA FLS and tissue, and p53 assessed by Western Blot. Apoptosis was detected by annexin V/propidium iodide staining, SS DNA apoptosis ELISA kit or TUNEL staining and proliferation by PCNA staining. IL-17 receptor A (IL-17RA), IL-17 receptor C (IL-17-RC) or synoviolin inhibition were achieved by small interfering RNA (siRNA) or neutralizing antibodies. IL-17 induced sustained synoviolin expression in RA FLS. Sodium nitroprusside (SNP)-induced RA FLS apoptosis was associated with reduced synoviolin expression and was rescued by IL-17 treatment with a corresponding increase in synoviolin expression. IL-17RC or IL-17RA RNA interference increased SNP-induced apoptosis, and decreased IL-17-induced synoviolin. IL-17 rescued RA FLS from apoptosis induced by synoviolin knockdown. IL-17 and TNF had additive effects on synoviolin expression and protection against apoptosis induced by synoviolin knowndown. In IL-17R deficient mice, a decrease in arthritis severity was characterized by increased synovial apoptosis, reduced proliferation and a marked reduction in synoviolin expression. A distinct absence of synoviolin expressing germinal centres in IL-17R deficient mice contrasted with synoviolin positive B cells and Th17 cells in synovial germinal centre-like structures.<p></p>
Conclusion/Significance:
IL-17 induction of synoviolin may contribute at least in part to RA chronicity by prolonging the survival of RA FLS and immune cells in germinal centre reactions. These results extend the role of IL-17 to synovial hyperplasia.<p></p>
Epidural Hematoma Following Cervical Spine Surgery.
STUDY DESIGN: A multicentered retrospective case series.
OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence and circumstances surrounding the development of a symptomatic postoperative epidural hematoma in the cervical spine.
METHODS: Patients who underwent cervical spine surgery between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2011, at 23 institutions were reviewed, and all patients who developed an epidural hematoma were identified.
RESULTS: A total of 16 582 cervical spine surgeries were identified, and 15 patients developed a postoperative epidural hematoma, for a total incidence of 0.090%. Substantial variation between institutions was noted, with 11 sites reporting no epidural hematomas, and 1 site reporting an incidence of 0.76%. All patients initially presented with a neurologic deficit. Nine patients had complete resolution of the neurologic deficit after hematoma evacuation; however 2 of the 3 patients (66%) who had a delay in the diagnosis of the epidural hematoma had residual neurologic deficits compared to only 4 of the 12 patients (33%) who had no delay in the diagnosis or treatment (P = .53). Additionally, the patients who experienced a postoperative epidural hematoma did not experience any significant improvement in health-related quality-of-life metrics as a result of the index procedure at final follow-up evaluation.
CONCLUSION: This is the largest series to date to analyze the incidence of an epidural hematoma following cervical spine surgery, and this study suggest that an epidural hematoma occurs in approximately 1 out of 1000 cervical spine surgeries. Prompt diagnosis and treatment may improve the chance of making a complete neurologic recovery, but patients who develop this complication do not show improvements in the health-related quality-of-life measurements
Observation of the nonlinear Hall effect under time reversal symmetric conditions
The electrical Hall effect is the production of a transverse voltage under an
out-of-plane magnetic field. Historically, studies of the Hall effect have led
to major breakthroughs including the discoveries of Berry curvature and the
topological Chern invariants. In magnets, the internal magnetization allows
Hall conductivity in the absence of external magnetic field. This anomalous
Hall effect (AHE) has become an important tool to study quantum magnets. In
nonmagnetic materials without external magnetic fields, the electrical Hall
effect is rarely explored because of the constraint by time-reversal symmetry.
However, strictly speaking, only the Hall effect in the linear response regime,
i.e., the Hall voltage linearly proportional to the external electric field,
identically vanishes due to time-reversal symmetry. The Hall effect in the
nonlinear response regime, on the other hand, may not be subject to such
symmetry constraints. Here, we report the observation of the nonlinear Hall
effect (NLHE) in the electrical transport of the nonmagnetic 2D quantum
material, bilayer WTe2. Specifically, flowing an electrical current in bilayer
WTe2 leads to a nonlinear Hall voltage in the absence of magnetic field. The
NLHE exhibits unusual properties sharply distinct from the AHE in metals: The
NLHE shows a quadratic I-V characteristic; It strongly dominates the nonlinear
longitudinal response, leading to a Hall angle of about 90 degree. We further
show that the NLHE directly measures the "dipole moment" of the Berry
curvature, which arises from layer-polarized Dirac fermions in bilayer WTe2.
Our results demonstrate a new Hall effect and provide a powerful methodology to
detect Berry curvature in a wide range of nonmagnetic quantum materials in an
energy-resolved way
Long range neutrino forces in the cosmic relic neutrino background
Neutrinos mediate long range forces among macroscopic bodies in vacuum. When
the bodies are placed in the neutrino cosmic background, these forces are
modified. Indeed, at distances long compared to the scale , the relic
neutrinos completely screen off the 2-neutrino exchange force, whereas for
small distances the interaction remains unaffected.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figure
Baryogenesis from Primordial Blackholes after Electroweak Phase Transition
Incorporating a realistic model for accretion of ultra-relativistic particles
by primordial blackholes (PBHs), we study the evolution of an Einstein-de
Sitter universe consisting of PBHs embedded in a thermal bath from the epoch
sec to sec. In this paper we use Barrow
et al's ansatz to model blackhole evaporation in which the modified Hawking
temperature goes to zero in the limit of the blackhole attaining a relic state
with mass . Both single mass PBH case as well as the case in which
blackhole masses are distributed in the range gm
have been considered in our analysis. Blackholes with mass larger than gm appear to survive beyond the electroweak phase transition and,
therefore, successfully manage to create baryon excess via
emissions, averting the baryon number wash-out due to sphalerons. In this
scenario, we find that the contribution to the baryon-to-entropy ratio by PBHs
of initial mass is given by , where
and are the CP-violating parameter and the initial mass
fraction of the PBHs, respectively. For larger than ,
the observed matter-antimatter asymmetry in the universe can be attributed to
the evaporation of PBHs.Comment: Latex2e file with seven figures included as postscript file
Selfhood and Identity in Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Hinduism: Contrasts With the West
Corrections to the Electroweak Effective Action at Finite Temperature
We calculate contributions to the finite temperature effective action for the
electroweak phase transition (EWPT) at \O(g^4), {\it i.e.} at second order in
(g^2 T/\M) and all orders in (g^2 T^2/\M^2). This requires plasma-mass
corrections in the calculation of the effective potential, inclusion of the
``lollipop'' diagram, and an estimate of derivative corrections. We find the
EWPT remains too weakly first-order to drive baryogenesis. We calculate some
one loop kinetic energy corrections using both functional and diagrammatic
methods; these may be important for saddlepoint configurations such as the
bounce or sphaleron.Comment: LaTeX, 6 figures available by email, CALT-68-1795, HUTP-92-A027,
EFI-92-2
Prime Focus Spectrograph (PFS) for the Subaru Telescope: Overview, recent progress, and future perspectives
PFS (Prime Focus Spectrograph), a next generation facility instrument on the
8.2-meter Subaru Telescope, is a very wide-field, massively multiplexed,
optical and near-infrared spectrograph. Exploiting the Subaru prime focus, 2394
reconfigurable fibers will be distributed over the 1.3 deg field of view. The
spectrograph has been designed with 3 arms of blue, red, and near-infrared
cameras to simultaneously observe spectra from 380nm to 1260nm in one exposure
at a resolution of ~1.6-2.7A. An international collaboration is developing this
instrument under the initiative of Kavli IPMU. The project is now going into
the construction phase aiming at undertaking system integration in 2017-2018
and subsequently carrying out engineering operations in 2018-2019. This article
gives an overview of the instrument, current project status and future paths
forward.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figures. Proceeding of SPIE Astronomical Telescopes and
Instrumentation 201
C5 Palsy After Cervical Spine Surgery: A Multicenter Retrospective Review of 59 Cases.
STUDY DESIGN: A multicenter, retrospective review of C5 palsy after cervical spine surgery.
OBJECTIVE: Postoperative C5 palsy is a known complication of cervical decompressive spinal surgery. The goal of this study was to review the incidence, patient characteristics, and outcome of C5 palsy in patients undergoing cervical spine surgery.
METHODS: We conducted a multicenter, retrospective review of 13 946 patients across 21 centers who received cervical spine surgery (levels C2 to C7) between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2011, inclusive. P values were calculated using 2-sample t test for continuous variables and χ(2) tests or Fisher exact tests for categorical variables.
RESULTS: Of the 13 946 cases reviewed, 59 patients experienced a postoperative C5 palsy. The incidence rate across the 21 sites ranged from 0% to 2.5%. At most recent follow-up, 32 patients reported complete resolution of symptoms (54.2%), 15 had symptoms resolve with residual effects (25.4%), 10 patients did not recover (17.0%), and 2 were lost to follow-up (3.4%).
CONCLUSION: C5 palsy occurred in all surgical approaches and across a variety of diagnoses. The majority of patients had full recovery or recovery with residual effects. This study represents the largest series of North American patients reviewed to date
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