Fiber-Cavity-Based Optomechanical Device

We describe an optomechanical device consisting of a fiber-based optical cavity containing a silicon nitiride membrane. In comparison with typical free-space cavities, the fiber-cavity's small mode size (10 {\mu}m waist, 80 {\mu}m length) allows the use of smaller, lighter membranes and increases the cavity-membrane linear coupling to 3 GHz/nm and quadratic coupling to 20 GHz/nm^2. This device is also intrinsically fiber-coupled and uses glass ferrules for passive alignment. These improvements will greatly simplify the use of optomechanical systems, particularly in cryogenic settings. At room temperature, we expect these devices to be able to detect the shot noise of radiation pressure.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures; the following article has been submitted to Applied Physics Letter

Longitudinal Documentation of Serum Cartilage Oligomeric Matrix Protein and Patient-Reported Outcomes in Collegiate Soccer Athletes over the Course of an Athletic Season

BACKGROUND: Serum cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (sCOMP) is a biomarker for cartilage degradation. Patient-reported outcomes (PRO) are used to document postinjury recovery and may be used to prospectively identify changes in the course of a season. It is unknown what effect intense, continuous physical activity has on sCOMP levels and PRO values in athletes over the duration of a soccer season. HYPOTHESIS/PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to longitudinally document sCOMP levels and to determine whether changes in PROs occur in collegiate soccer athletes during a season. The hypotheses tested were that sCOMP levels and PRO scores would remain stable over the duration of the spring soccer season. STUDY DESIGN: Case series; level of evidence, 4. METHODS: Twenty-nine National Collegiate Athletic Association Division-I soccer athletes (18 men, 11 women; age, 19.6 ± 1.2 years; height, 177.8 ± 7.4 cm; mass, 73.8 ± 10.2 kg) participated in 3 (pre-[T(1)], mid-[T(2)], and postseason [T(3)]) data collection sessions. Subjects were included if they were participants in the spring soccer season and were free of severe knee injury at the time of data collection. At each session, subjects completed PROs (Lysholm, International Knee Documentation Committee scores) before serum collection. RESULTS: For sCOMP (ng/mL), there was a significant effect for time, with significant increases at T2 (1723.5 ± 257.9, P \u3c .001) and T3 (1624.7 ± 231.6, P = .002) when compared with T1(1482.9 ± 217.9). For each of the PROs, there was a significant effect for time from T1-T3, and at T2-T3 for the IKDC. CONCLUSION: These data indicate sCOMP levels increased as athletes reported an increased level of function over time. However, the differences in sCOMP levels did not reach the calculated minimal detectable change (MDC) value and the differences in PRO scores did not reach previously calculated MDC values. It is unclear whether these increases in sCOMP levels were caused by an increase in cartilage matrix breakdown or turnover. Even though these elevations may not be clinically meaningful, this biomarker may have the potential to be used for future research studies investigating the effects of exercise on overall joint health in longitudinal studies. In addition, these results indicate fluctuations in sCOMP occur during a competitive season and must be taken into consideration for future biomarker studies

Cost-effectiveness of using a gene expression profiling test to aid in identifying the primary tumour in patients with cancer of unknown primary.

We aimed to investigate the cost-effectiveness of a 2000-gene-expression profiling (GEP) test to help identify the primary tumor site when clinicopathological diagnostic evaluation was inconclusive in patients with cancer of unknown primary (CUP). We built a decision-analytic-model to project the lifetime clinical and economic consequences of different clinical management strategies for CUP. The model was parameterized using follow-up data from the Manitoba Cancer Registry, cost data from Manitoba Health administrative databases and secondary sources. The 2000-GEP-based strategy compared to current clinical practice resulted in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of $44,151 per quality-adjusted life years (QALY) gained. The total annual-budget impact was$36.2 million per year. A value-of-information analysis revealed that the expected value of perfect information about the test\u27s clinical impact was $4.2 million per year. The 2000-GEP test should be considered for adoption in CUP. Field evaluations of the test are associated with a large societal benefit.The Pharmacogenomics Journal advance online publication, 29 March 2016; doi:10.1038/tpj.2015.94

Towards a resource-based habitat approach for spatial modelling of vector-borne disease risks

Given the veterinary and public health impact of vector-borne diseases, there is a clear need to assess the suitability of landscapes for the emergence and spread of these diseases. Current approaches for predicting disease risks neglect key features of the landscape as components of the functional habitat of vectors or hosts, and hence of the pathogen. Empirical–statistical methods do not explicitly incorporate biological mechanisms, whereas current mechanistic models are rarely spatially explicit; both methods ignore the way animals use the landscape (i.e. movement ecology). We argue that applying a functional concept for habitat, i.e. the resource-based habitat concept (RBHC), can solve these issues. The RBHC offers a framework to identify systematically the different ecological resources that are necessary for the completion of the transmission cycle and to relate these resources to (combinations of) landscape features and other environmental factors. The potential of the RBHC as a framework for identifying suitable habitats for vector-borne pathogens is explored and illustrated with the case of bluetongue virus, a midge-transmitted virus affecting ruminants. The concept facilitates the study of functional habitats of the interacting species (vectors as well as hosts) and provides new insight into spatial and temporal variation in transmission opportunities and exposure that ultimately determine disease risks. It may help to identify knowledge gaps and control options arising from changes in the spatial configuration of key resources across the landscape. The RBHC framework may act as a bridge between existing mechanistic and statistical modelling approaches

Role of the T cell in the genesis of angiotensin II–induced hypertension and vascular dysfunction

Hypertension promotes atherosclerosis and is a major source of morbidity and mortality. We show that mice lacking T and B cells (RAG-1−/− mice) have blunted hypertension and do not develop abnormalities of vascular function during angiotensin II infusion or desoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)–salt. Adoptive transfer of T, but not B, cells restored these abnormalities. Angiotensin II is known to stimulate reactive oxygen species production via the nicotinamide adenosine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase in several cells, including some immune cells. Accordingly, adoptive transfer of T cells lacking the angiotensin type I receptor or a functional NADPH oxidase resulted in blunted angiotensin II–dependent hypertension and decreased aortic superoxide production. Angiotensin II increased T cell markers of activation and tissue homing in wild-type, but not NADPH oxidase–deficient, mice. Angiotensin II markedly increased T cells in the perivascular adipose tissue (periadventitial fat) and, to a lesser extent the adventitia. These cells expressed high levels of CC chemokine receptor 5 and were commonly double negative (CD3+CD4−CD8−). This infiltration was associated with an increase in intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and RANTES in the aorta. Hypertension also increased T lymphocyte production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α, and treatment with the TNFα antagonist etanercept prevented the hypertension and increase in vascular superoxide caused by angiotensin II. These studies identify a previously undefined role for T cells in the genesis of hypertension and support a role of inflammation in the basis of this prevalent disease. T cells might represent a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of high blood pressure

High-reflectivity, high-Q micromechanical membranes via guided resonances for enhanced optomechanical coupling

Using Fano-type guided resonances (GRs) in photonic crystal (PhC) slab structures, we numerically and experimentally demonstrate optical reflectivity enhancement of high-Q SiNx membrane-type resonators used in membrane-in-the-middle optomechanical (OM) systems. Normal-incidence transmission and mechanical ringdown measurements of 50-nm-thick PhC membranes demonstrate GRs near 1064 nm, leading to a ~ 4\times increase in reflectivity while preserving high mechanical Q factors of up to ~ 5 \times 10^6. The results would allow improvement of membrane-in-the-middle OM systems by virtue of increased OM coupling, presenting a path towards ground state cooling of such a membrane and observations of related quantum effects

Experimental certification of contextuality, coherence, and dimension in a programmable universal photonic processor

Quantum superposition of high-dimensional states enables both computational speed-up and security in cryptographic protocols. However, the exponential complexity of tomographic processes makes certification of these properties a challenging task. In this work, we experimentally certify coherence witnesses tailored for quantum systems of increasing dimension using pairwise overlap measurements enabled by a six-mode universal photonic processor fabricated with a femtosecond laser writing technology. In particular, we show the effectiveness of the proposed coherence and dimension witnesses for qudits of dimensions up to 5. We also demonstrate advantage in a quantum interrogation task and show it is fueled by quantum contextuality. Our experimental results testify to the efficiency of this approach for the certification of quantum properties in programmable integrated photonic platforms