Reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexer using microring resonators

We report a reconfigurable four-channel optical add-drop multiplexer for use in access networks. The optical add-drop multiplexer (OADM) is based on vertically coupled thermally tunable Si/sub 3/N/sub 4/--SiO/sub 2/ microring resonators (MRs) and has been realized on a footprint of 0.25 mm/sup 2/. Individual MRs in the OADM can be tuned across the full free-spectral range of 4.18 nm and have a 3-dB bandwidth of 50 GHz

THE INFLUENCE OF THE PARTNER CELL ON THE PRODUCTION OF L VIRUS AND THE EXPRESSION OF VIRAL SURFACE ANTIGEN IN HYBRID CELLS

The C-type particles produced by the A9 and A9HT sublines of mouse L cells were shown to infect C3H (N type), but not C57BL (B type), mouse embryo fibroblasts. Infection was indicated by distinct single giant cell formation in the XC monolayer used to overlay the mouse embryo fibroblasts. On the basis of these results it was concluded that the L cell virus is N tropic. A9 and A9HT cells were fused to various mouse cells derived from tumors and normal tissues. The ability to produce the Moloney-type surface antigen and to release infectious virus was introduced by the A9 component into the hybrid cell. Virus production, measured by antigen induction on JLS-V9 cells, was suppressed in those hybrids in which the partner cell had a genotype determining low infectibility with that particular virus (B-type cell). It thus appears that the major genetic locus affecting resistance to infection with leukemia viruses, the Fv-1 locus, regulates infectious virus production in somatic cell hybrids also. The same genetic locus did not seem to govern the expression of all virus-related functions, for the virus-determined membrane antigen was demonstrated in many of the N x B-type hybrids in which production of infectious virus was suppressed

The Oboe Sings: Translating bel canto Song for the Oboe

Vol. 1 Part A: Contents of recorded Performances -- Part B: Exegesis -- Vol. 2 Part C: New Musical Scores for the oboeCD 1-5: Recorded Performances are currently unavailable.This performance-based PhD project identifies a gap in available nineteenth-century repertoire for the solo oboe and aims to fill this gap, presenting for the first time new solo repertoire for the instruments of the modern oboe family. The new repertoire is generated through various processes of appropriation from works of the bel canto tradition in the vocal literature. In addition to some of the most powerful vocal repertoire, the study includes important vocal exercises by Giuseppe Concone, works which revolutionised the teaching and learning of singing, and it poses the question, “What can the oboe learn from them?” Other members of the oboe family - the cor anglais, the oboe d’amore, and the bass oboe - are included as, to an even greater degree, these instruments will benefit significantly from an extension to their modest repertoire. A three-pronged approach is used to address this problem: 1. One of the most important works for the learning of bel canto singing, Giuseppe Concone’s 50 Lessons for the Voice (50 leçons de chant pour le médium de la voix avec accompagnement de piano) Op. 9, is adapted for and recorded on the oboe. This will be referred to as Concone’s 50 Lessons. 2. Various forgotten/out-of-print nineteenth-century works for solo oboe were sought out in various archives and repositories, then prepared and recorded. 3. Vocal, or bel canto style works, were appropriated and made into new solo oboe repertoire. The first two of these approaches are used to inform choices made in the preparation of the new scores. This portfolio comprises five CDs of recorded performances, a collection of newly generated scores, and an exegesis. The exegesis discusses in detail the process of repertoire selection and transcription, along with the preparation and recording of the works.Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, Elder Conservatorium of Music, 202

Search for R-parity violating supersymmetry in multilepton final states using the ATLAS detector

This thesis presents a search for R-parity violating supersymmetry at sqrt(s)=13 TeV, using approximately 13.3 fb-1 of data collected by ATLAS in 2015 and the first half of 2016. Events are required to contain at least four leptons (electrons or muons only) that are not the product of a Z boson decay, and this requirement results in a low Standard Model background and a high sensitivity to various physics models beyond the Standard Model. No significant deviations from the Standard Model are observed in data, and results are used to set upper limits on the event yields from processes beyond the Standard Model. In a simplified model of chargino production with indirect R-parity violating decays, limits are extended by approximately 400 GeV relative to the Run 1 search, excluding chargino masses below 1.1 TeV

Rlpy: A Value-Function-Based Reinforcement Learning Framework for Education and Research

RLPy is an object-oriented reinforcement learning software package with a focus on valuefunction-based methods using linear function approximation and discrete actions. The framework was designed for both educational and research purposes. It provides a rich library of fine-grained, easily exchangeable components for learning agents (e.g., policies or representations of value functions), facilitating recently increased specialization in reinforcement learning. RLPy is written in Python to allow fast prototyping, but is also suitable for large-scale experiments through its built-in support for optimized numerical libraries and parallelization. Code profiling, domain visualizations, and data analysis are integrated in a self-contained package available under the Modified BSD License at http://github.com/rlpy/rlpy. All of these properties allow users to compare various reinforcement learning algorithms with little effort

Evaluation of Claviceps purpurea isolates on wheat reveals complex virulence and host susceptibility relationships

Ergot of cereals, caused by Claviceps purpurea, results in yield loss and downgrading of infested grain because of toxic alkaloids in the sclerotia. Resistant wheat genotypes are known, but their effectiveness against different C. purpurea isolates over geographic regions has not been studied. The objective of this study was to examine the pathogenic variability among isolates of C. purpurea on wheat lines differing in resistance. Under controlled environmental conditions, 41 single spore isolates of C. purpurea were obtained from Canadian and UK collections and inoculated onto a set of wheat genotypes composed of durum wheat lines ‘Melita’, ‘Kyle’ and 9260B-173A, and hexaploid spring wheat lines ‘Cadillac’, ‘Vista’, ‘Kenya Farmer’, ‘Lee’ and HY630. Honeydew production and weight of sclerotia produced per spike were assessed. There were significant differences among the wheat genotypes for overall reactions to the pathogen isolates, and among pathogen isolates for geographic origin and host origin. Twenty virulence phenotypes were identified using the honeydew production data, and 23 virulence phenotypes identified using the sclerotial weight data from the 41 isolates. The existence of different virulence phenotypes indicates that variability in virulence exists in populations of C. purpurea, and knowledge of virulence phenotypes is necessary to effectively breed for resistant commercial lines

Cooperative WebLab in chemical engineering between France and Brazil: Validation of the methodology

A WebLab is an experiment operated remotely via Internet. Besides the strictly technical aspects of such an experiment, which may contribute to the learning of Chemical Engineering fundamentals, there is also important feedback when teams of students of two different countries are working together: the WebLab becomes an intercultural experience, enhancing the communication skills of the students. A WebLab between Universidade Federal de São Carlos (DEQ/UFSCar) and the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Ingénieurs en Arts Chimiques et Technologiques (ENSIACET) is presented in this work. A mass transfer experiment in a bench scale reactor (stirred and aerated) had to be studied by mixed teams, thus emulating challenges that will be common in future working environments. In order to perform the experiment, students in Brazil and in France were put into groups. The students had to make decisions about the procedure for executing the experiments. All the students were able to control the equipment, no matter where they were physically. Students communicated using video conference software. The students' and teachers' opinions of this experience were very positive. This methodology is an important contribution to the education of engineers in a world integrated by modern communication technologies