Determination of refractive index, thickness, and the optical losses of thin films from prism-film coupling measurements

International audienceWe present a method of analysis of prism-film coupler spectroscopy based on the use of transfer matrix and genetic algorithm, which allows the simultaneous determination of refractive index, thickness, and optical losses of the measured layer

Optical characterization of PZT thin films for waveguide applications

International audienceIn order to develop an electro-optic waveguide, Pb(Zr, Ti)O3 ceramic ferroelectric thin films were elaborated by a modified sol-gel process on glass substrate. In the aim to study the optical properties of the PZT films, an accurate refractive index and thickness measurement apparatus was set up, which is called M-lines device. An evaluation of experimental uncertainty and calculation of the precision of the refractive index and thickness were developed on PZT layers. Two different processes of PZT elaboration were made and studied with this apparatus. The reproducibility of one fabrication process was tested and results are presented in this paper

A New Embedded Full Strain Components Sensor

International audienceA new concept of strain (or stress) tensor sensor is presented. Fully embedded in the structure, it measures the full 3D strain tensor while suppressing its own influence, i.e allowing to find the strain (or stress) that would exist without the sensor, thanks to the Eshelby theorem. Furthermore, this theorem proves that the strain field is homogenous in the spherical (or ellipsoidal) body of the sensor, leading to perfect conditions of use for the six Bragg grating glass fibers which measure the strain of the body. After a brief overview of the theory, both mechanical and optical, we will present the results of the test performed using a prototype. This device is a simplified version of the sensor (3 channels) submitted to a hydrostatic pressure in order to assess the precision and the repeatability of the measure

Superposition of fiber Bragg and LPG gratings for embedded strain measurement

AbstractWhen a fiber Bragg grating strain sensor is embedded inside a structure, the interaction of the sensor with the host material can lead to spurious results if the radial strain is neglected. In this article, we use numerical simulations to show that the axial and radial strains can be simultaneously measured with a single fiber in which a Bragg grating and a long-period grating are superimposed. Moreover, we present an optimal architecture of the sensor

Concrete Crack Monitoring Using a Novel Strain Transfer Model for Distributed Fiber Optics Sensors

International audienceIn this paper, we study the strain transfer mechanism between a host material and an optical fiber. A new analytical model handling imperfect bonding between layers is proposed. A general expression of the crack-induced strain transfer from fractured concrete material to optical fiber is established in the case of a multilayer system. This new strain transfer model is examined through performing wedge splitting tests on concrete specimens instrumented with embedded and surface-mounted fiber optic cables. The experimental results showed the validity of the crack-induced strain expression fitted to the distributed strains measured using an Optical Backscattering Reflectometry (OBR) system. As a result, precise estimations of the crack openings next to the optical cable location were achieved, as well as the monitoring of the optical cable response through following the strain lag parameter

Detection and Measurement of Matrix Discontinuities in UHPFRC by Means of Distributed Fiber Optics Sensing

International audienceFollowing the significant improvement in their properties during the last decade, Distributed Fiber Optics sensing (DFOs) techniques are nowadays implemented for industrial use in the context of Structural Health Monitoring (SHM). While these techniques have formed an undeniable asset for the health monitoring of concrete structures, their performance should be validated for novel structural materials including Ultra High Performance Fiber Reinforced Cementitious composites (UHPFRC). In this study, a full scale UHPFRC beam was instrumented with DFOs, Digital Image Correlation (DIC) and extensometers. The performances of these three measurement techniques in terms of strain measurement as well as crack detection and localization are compared. A method for the measurement of opening and closing of localized fictitious cracks in UHPFRC using the Optical Backscattering Reflectometry (OBR) technique is verified. Moreover, the use of correct combination of DFO sensors allows precise detection of microcracks as well as monitoring of fictitious cracks' opening. The recommendations regarding use of various SHM methods for UHPFRC structures are given

Edema Toxin Impairs Anthracidal Phospholipase A2 Expression by Alveolar Macrophages

Bacillus anthracis, the etiological agent of anthrax, is a spore-forming Gram-positive bacterium. Infection with this pathogen results in multisystem dysfunction and death. The pathogenicity of B. anthracis is due to the production of virulence factors, including edema toxin (ET). Recently, we established the protective role of type-IIA secreted phospholipase A2 (sPLA2-IIA) against B. anthracis. A component of innate immunity produced by alveolar macrophages (AMs), sPLA2-IIA is found in human and animal bronchoalveolar lavages at sufficient levels to kill B. anthracis. However, pulmonary anthrax is almost always fatal, suggesting the potential impairment of sPLA2-IIA synthesis and/or action by B. anthracis factors. We investigated the effect of purified ET and ET-deficient B. anthracis strains on sPLA2-IIA expression in primary guinea pig AMs. We report that ET inhibits sPLA2-IIA expression in AMs at the transcriptional level via a cAMP/protein kinase A–dependent process. Moreover, we show that live B. anthracis strains expressing functional ET inhibit sPLA2-IIA expression, whereas ET-deficient strains induced this expression. This stimulatory effect, mediated partly by the cell wall peptidoglycan, can be counterbalanced by ET. We conclude that B. anthracis down-regulates sPLA2-IIA expression in AMs through a process involving ET. Our study, therefore, describes a new molecular mechanism implemented by B. anthracis to escape innate host defense. These pioneering data will provide new molecular targets for future intervention against this deathly pathogen

Investigating the incidence and magnitude of heterotopic ossification with and without joints involvement in patients with a limb fracture and mild traumatic brain injury

Objectives: This study seeks to evaluate the incidence rate of heterotopic ossification (HO) formation in patients afflicted by an isolated limb fracture (ILF) and a concomitant mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Methods: The current study is an observational study including ILF patients with or without a concomitant mTBI recruited from an orthopedic clinic of a Level 1 Trauma Hospital. Patients were diagnosed with a mTBI according to the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM) criteria. Radiographs taken on average 3 months post-trauma were analyzed separately by two distinct specialists for the presence of HO proximally to the fracture site (joints or extra joints). Both raters referred to Brooker's and Della's Valle's classification to establish signs of HO. First, analyses were conducted for the full sample. Secondly, a matched cohort was used in order to control for specific factors, namely age, sex, type of injury, and time elapsed between the accident and the analyzed radiograph. Results: The full sample included a total of 183 patients with an ILF (94 females; 47.5 years old), of which 50 had a concomitant mTBI and 133 without. Radiographic evidence of HO was significantly higher in patients with an ILF and a mTBI compared to ILF patients (X2 = 6.50; p = 0.01). The matched cohort consisted of 94 participants (i.e.; 47 patients from the ILF + mTBI group and 47 patients from the ILF group). Again, ILF + mTBI patients presented significantly higher rates of HO signs in comparison to ILF patients (X2 = 3.69; p = 0.04). Presence of HO was associated with prolonged delays to return to work (RTW) only in ILF + mTBI patients (F = 4.055; p = 0.05) but not in ILF patients (F = 0.823; p = 0.37). Conclusions: Study findings suggest that rates of HO are significantly higher proximally to fracture sites when ILF patients sustain a concomitant mTBI, even after controlling for factors known to influence HO. Moreover, results show that HO is associated with a prolonged RTW only in ILF patients with a concomitant mTBI but not in ILFonly patients. The impact of mTBI on HO formation warrants further attention to detect early signs of HO, to identify shared physiopathological mechanisms and, ultimately, to design targeted therapies