Sorting photons by radial quantum number

The Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) modes constitute a complete basis set for representing the transverse structure of a {paraxial} photon field in free space. Earlier workers have shown how to construct a device for sorting a photon according to its azimuthal LG mode index, which describes the orbital angular momentum (OAM) carried by the field. In this paper we propose and demonstrate a mode sorter based on the fractional Fourier transform (FRFT) to efficiently decompose the optical field according to its radial profile. We experimentally characterize the performance of our implementation by separating individual radial modes as well as superposition states. The reported scheme can, in principle, achieve unit efficiency and thus can be suitable for applications that involve quantum states of light. This approach can be readily combined with existing OAM mode sorters to provide a complete characterization of the transverse profile of the optical field

Prenatal genetic diagnosis associated with fetal ventricular septal defect: an assessment based on chromosomal microarray analysis and exome sequencing

Objective: In the study, we investigated the genetic etiology of the ventricular septal defect (VSD) and comprehensively evaluated the diagnosis rate of prenatal chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) and exome sequencing (ES) for VSD to provide evidence for genetic counseling.Methods: We carried out chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) on 468 fetuses with VSD and exome sequencing (ES) on 51 fetuses.Results: In our cohort, 68 (14.5%) VSD fetuses received a genetic diagnosis, including 61 (13.03%, 61/468) cases with chromosomal abnormalities and seven (13.7%, 7/51) cases with gene sequence variants. The detection rate of total pathogenic and likely pathogenic gene variations in the non-isolated VSD group (61/335, 18.2%, 55 by QF-PCR/karyotype/CMA + 6 by ES) was significantly higher than that in the isolated VSD group (7/133, 5.3%, 6 by QF-PCR/karyotype/CMA + 1 by ES, p = 0.000). The most common copy number variation (CNV) was 22q11.2 microdeletion syndrome. Additionally, we found six previously unreported variants, which expanded the variation spectrum of VSD-related genes.Conclusion: In this study, CNVs and sequence variants were found in 13.03% and 13.7% of cases, respectively. ES can be recommended for fetuses with VSD without chromosome abnormalities and pathogenic CNVs, especially those that are combined with other ultrasound abnormalities

Enhanced Thermal Insulation of the Hollow Glass Microsphere/Glass Fiber Fabric Textile Composite Material

Glass fiber fabrics/hollow glass microspheres (HGM)–waterborne polyurethane (WPU) textile composites were prepared using glass fiber, WPU, and HGM as skeleton material, binder, and insulation filler, respectively, to study the effect of HGM on the thermal insulation performance of glass fiber fabrics. Scanning electron microscopy, Instron 3367 tensile test instrument, thermal constant analysis, and infrared thermal imaging were used to determine the cross-sectional morphology, mechanical property, thermal conductivity, and thermal insulation property, respectively, of the developed materials. The results show that the addition of HGM mixed in WPU significantly enhanced thermal insulation performance of the textile composite with the reduction of thermal conductivity of 45.2% when the volume ratio of HGM to WPU is 0.8 compared with that of material without HGM. The composite can achieve the thermal insulation effect with a temperature difference of 17.74 °C at the temperature field of 70 °C. Meanwhile, the tensile strength of the composite is improved from 14.16 to 22.14 MPa. With these results, it is confirmed that designing hollow glass microspheres (HGM) is an effective way to develop and enhance the high performance of insulation materials with an obvious lightweight of the bulk density reaching about 50%

Enhanced Thermal Insulation of the Hollow Glass Microsphere/Glass Fiber Fabric Textile Composite Material

Glass fiber fabrics/hollow glass microspheres (HGM)–waterborne polyurethane (WPU) textile composites were prepared using glass fiber, WPU, and HGM as skeleton material, binder, and insulation filler, respectively, to study the effect of HGM on the thermal insulation performance of glass fiber fabrics. Scanning electron microscopy, Instron 3367 tensile test instrument, thermal constant analysis, and infrared thermal imaging were used to determine the cross-sectional morphology, mechanical property, thermal conductivity, and thermal insulation property, respectively, of the developed materials. The results show that the addition of HGM mixed in WPU significantly enhanced thermal insulation performance of the textile composite with the reduction of thermal conductivity of 45.2% when the volume ratio of HGM to WPU is 0.8 compared with that of material without HGM. The composite can achieve the thermal insulation effect with a temperature difference of 17.74 °C at the temperature field of 70 °C. Meanwhile, the tensile strength of the composite is improved from 14.16 to 22.14 MPa. With these results, it is confirmed that designing hollow glass microspheres (HGM) is an effective way to develop and enhance the high performance of insulation materials with an obvious lightweight of the bulk density reaching about 50%