Mode-locking induced by coherent driving in fiber lasers

Mode-locking is a broad concept that encompasses different processes enabling short optical pulse formation in lasers. It typically requires an intracavity mechanism that discriminates between single and collective mode lasing, which can be complex and sometimes adds noise. Moreover, known mode-locking schemes do not guarantee phase stability of the carrier wave. Here, we theoretically propose that injecting a detuned signal seamlessly leads to mode-locking in fiber lasers. We show that phase-locked pulses, akin to cavity solitons, exist in a wide range of parameters. In that regime the laser behaves as a passive resonator due to the non-instantaneous gain saturation

High plasma levels of C1-inhibitor are associated with lower risk of future venous thromboembolism

Background - C1-inhibitor (C1INH) is a broad-acting serine protease inhibitor with anticoagulant activity. The impact of C1INH plasma levels within the normal physiological range on risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) is unknown. We assessed the association of plasma C1INH levels and VTE risk and evaluated the impact of C1INH on thrombin and plasmin generation in ex vivo assays. Methods - A nested case-control study with 405 patients with VTE and 829 age- and sex-matched controls was derived from the Tromsø Study. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for VTE were estimated across plasma C1INH quartiles. Genetic regulation of C1INH was explored using quantitative trait loci analysis of whole exome sequencing data. The effect of plasma C1INH levels on coagulation was evaluated ex vivo by calibrated automated thrombography. Results - Individuals with C1INH levels in the highest quartile had a lower risk of VTE (OR 0.68, 95% CI: 0.49-0.96) compared with those with C1INH in the lowest quartile. In subgroup analysis, the corresponding ORs were 0.60 (95% CI: 0.39-0.89) for deep vein thrombosis and 0.85 (95% CI: 0.52-1.38) for pulmonary embolism, respectively. No significant genetic determinants of plasma C1INH levels were identified. Addition of exogenous C1INH to normal human plasma reduced thrombin generation triggered by an activator of the intrinsic coagulation pathway, but not when triggered by an activator of the extrinsic coagulation pathway. Conclusions - High plasma levels of C1INH were associated with lower risk of VTE, and C1INH inhibited thrombin generation initiated by the intrinsic coagulation pathway ex vivo

Global Phylogenomic Assessment of \u3ci\u3eLeptoseris\u3c/i\u3e and \u3ci\u3eAgaricia\u3c/i\u3e Reveals Substantial Undescibed Diversity at Mesophotic Depths

Background: Mesophotic coral communities are increasingly gaining attention for the unique biological diversity they host, exemplified by the numerous mesophotic fish species that continue to be discovered. In contrast, many of the photosynthetic scleractinian corals observed at mesophotic depths are assumed to be depth-generalists, with very few species characterised as mesophotic-specialists. This presumed lack of a specialised community remains largely untested, as phylogenetic studies on corals have rarely included mesophotic samples and have long suffered from resolution issues associated with traditional sequence markers. Results: Here, we used reduced-representation genome sequencing to conduct a phylogenomic assessment of the two dominant mesophotic genera of plating corals in the Indo-Pacific and Western Atlantic, respectively, Leptoseris and Agaricia. While these genome-wide phylogenies broadly corroborated the morphological taxonomy, they also exposed deep divergences within the two genera and undescribed diversity across the current taxonomic species. Five of the eight focal species consisted of at least two sympatric and genetically distinct lineages, which were consistently detected across different methods. Conclusions: The repeated observation of genetically divergent lineages associated with mesophotic depths highlights that there may be many more mesophotic-specialist coral species than currently acknowledged and that an urgent assessment of this largely unstudied biological diversity is warranted

Towards Customary Legal Empowerment

Rule of Law and Development: Formation, Implementation and Improvement of Law and Governance in Developing Countrie

How does neopatrimonialism affect the African state? The case of tax collection in Zambia

Following the neopatrimonialism paradigm, it can be hypothesised that in African states informal politics of the rulers infringe on the collection of taxes and in turn reduce state revenue. This article tests this proposition for the case of Zambia. Neopatrimonial continuity in the country is evidenced by three factors : the concentration of political power, the award of personal favours, and the misuse of state resources. Despite this continuity, the revenue performance increased considerably with the creation of the semi-autonomous Zambia Revenue Authority. Donor pressure has been the most important intervening variable accounting for this improvement. Yet, strengthening the collection of central state revenue has been consistent with a neopatrimonial rationale, and may even have fed neopatrimonialism overall, by providing increased resources for particularistic expenditure

State legitimacy and famines in Sub-Saharan Africa

Political Economy of famines mainly focuses on political regimes to understand the role of institutions. In this paper, we investigate a broader concept, state legitimacy, and its role on one specific development outcome, famine management. State legitimacy refers to the political history of a country, meaning the embedding of state and society. Using a database of Sub-Saharan countries observed from 1980 to 2005, we use three empirical strategies: logit on famine occurrence, negative binomial regression and Arellano-Bond dynamic model on the number of years of famines. They all lead to the same results: there is room for a political economy of famine based on an analysis of state. State legitimacy prevents famines, controlling for shocks countries might go through, and controlling for the quality of government. The main contributions of this paper are first to consider the role of state legitimacy in the political economy of famines and second to apply the concept in an empirical analysis, using for the first time a state legitimacy variable