Control of complex structural geometry in optical fibre drawing

Drawing of standard telecommunication-type optical fibres has been optimised in terms of optical and physical properties. Specialty fibres, however, typically have more complex dopant profiles. Designs with high dopant concentrations and multidoping are common, making control of the fabrication process particularly important. In photonic crystal fibres (PCF) the inclusion of air-structures imposes a new challenge for the drawing process. The aim of this study is to gain profound insight into the behaviour of complex optical fibre structures during the final fabrication step, fibre drawing. Two types of optical fibre, namely conventional silica fibres and PCFs, were studied. Germanium and fluorine diffusion during drawing was studied experimentally and a numerical analysis was performed of the effects of drawing parameters on diffusion. An experimental study of geometry control of PCFs during drawing was conducted with emphasis given to the control of hole size. The effects of the various drawing parameters and their suitability for controlling the air-structure was studied. The effect of air-structures on heat transfer in PCFs was studied using computational fluid dynamics techniques. Both germanium and fluorine were found to diffuse at high temperature and low draw speed. A diffusion coefficent for germanium was determined and simulations showed that most diffusion occurred in the neck-down region. Draw temperature and preform feed rate had a comparable effect on diffusion. The hole size in PCFs was shown to depend on the draw temperature, preform feed rate and the preform internal pressure. Pressure was shown to be the most promising parameter for on-line control of the hole size. Heat transfer simulations showed that the air-structure had a significant effect on the temperature profile of the structure. It was also shown that the preform heating time was either increased or reduced compared to a solid structure and depended on the air-fraction

Control of complex structural geometry in optical fibre drawing

Drawing of standard telecommunication-type optical fibres has been optimised in terms of optical and physical properties. Specialty fibres, however, typically have more complex dopant profiles. Designs with high dopant concentrations and multidoping are common, making control of the fabrication process particularly important. In photonic crystal fibres (PCF) the inclusion of air-structures imposes a new challenge for the drawing process. The aim of this study is to gain profound insight into the behaviour of complex optical fibre structures during the final fabrication step, fibre drawing. Two types of optical fibre, namely conventional silica fibres and PCFs, were studied. Germanium and fluorine diffusion during drawing was studied experimentally and a numerical analysis was performed of the effects of drawing parameters on diffusion. An experimental study of geometry control of PCFs during drawing was conducted with emphasis given to the control of hole size. The effects of the various drawing parameters and their suitability for controlling the air-structure was studied. The effect of air-structures on heat transfer in PCFs was studied using computational fluid dynamics techniques. Both germanium and fluorine were found to diffuse at high temperature and low draw speed. A diffusion coefficent for germanium was determined and simulations showed that most diffusion occurred in the neck-down region. Draw temperature and preform feed rate had a comparable effect on diffusion. The hole size in PCFs was shown to depend on the draw temperature, preform feed rate and the preform internal pressure. Pressure was shown to be the most promising parameter for on-line control of the hole size. Heat transfer simulations showed that the air-structure had a significant effect on the temperature profile of the structure. It was also shown that the preform heating time was either increased or reduced compared to a solid structure and depended on the air-fraction

InnoEspoo-projekti aluekehittämisen moottorina

Uudenmaanliiton Älykäs erikoistuminen Uudellamaalla – Aluekehittämisen tutkimus- ja innovaatiostrategiassa 2014–2020 asetetaan tavoitteeksi, että vuonna 2020 Uudenmaan alue on kansainvälinen innovaatiokeskittymä ja innovatiivisten tuotteiden ja palveluiden käyttöönoton edelläkävijä. Tämän top-down-toiminnan ohella tarvitaan myös InnoEspoon kaltaista toimintaa: ruohonjuuritason kokeiluja, joissa uusia mahdollisuuksia selvitetään, alueen resursseja tunnistetaan ja uusia palveluja kehitetään joustavasti opiskelijoiden ja pienyritysten kanssa

Costume as art and as a Tool : Stage costume in three different opera productions

The idea of this research was to articulate the meanings of costume and costume design through three contemporary operas Helsinkiin 2005, Le Saxophone 2011 ja Kohtaus kadulla 2013 process descriptions. The aim of this study was to research the meaning of costume and costume design in different opera contexts from the point of view of the costume design-er, but also from the viewpoint of the composer, stage director, performers and the audience. These meanings are considered in the entirety of the above-mentioned operas. Besides will be asked, how do production, performing context and the quality of the collaboration and interaction influence to the artistic pro-cesses from the viewpoint of costume design. As the basis of the multiple case study there was fenomenographic and semi-otic approach to the opera phenomena and producing and interpreting the mean-ings of the costume. The meanings of the costume were to be introduced by adapting methods of craft science, practice-led and artistic research. As main research material was used artists descriptions of their processes, diaries, notes and visual documents like sketches and photographs of the productions. Also material collected by interviewing and inquiry methods was used. As the research result I pronounce the context-based meaning of the costume. The role and meaning of the costume changes according to which phase of the process and from whose viewpoint it is considered. The meaning of the costume is different to different artists or producers and it changes during the processes. To the director costuming can give, besides visual stage picture, tools to create action with, and to the performer it for example will function as a help to create the character and as a protection during performances. To the audience costume tells of the backgrounds or the nature of the characters or something from the stories behind the artwork. When compared, the sketches produced during the artistic processes and the photographs taken from the stages, it was clearly to be seen that the costume sketches had their impact to the stage picture. Through the sketches of the com-poser it was to be noticed that the creative processes in different arts to some extent remind each other. The documentation and analyzing documents of the artistic processes opens up a great chance to create a picture of what happens during art making.Tutkimuksen ideana oli tuoda esiin näyttämöpuvun ja pukusuunnittelun merkityksiä kolmen nykyoopperan Helsinkiin 2005, Le Saxophonen 2011 ja Kohtaus kadulla 2013 prosessikuvausten kautta. Tavoitteena oli tutkia näyttämöpukusuunnittelun ja -puvustuksen merkityksiä erilaisissa oopperakonteksteissa pukusuunnittelijan, mutta myös säveltäjän, ohjaajan, esiintyjien ja katsojien näkökulmista. Tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan näitä merkityksiä edellä mainittujen oopperateosten kokonaisuuksissa. Lisäksi kysytään, miten tuotantotapa, esityskonteksti ja taiteellisen työryhmän yhteistyön ja vuorovaikutuksen laatu vaikuttavat työskentelyprosesseihin pukusuunnittelun kannalta katsottuna. Monitapaustutkimuksen lähtökohtina olivat fenomenografinen tutkimusote oopperaprosesseihin ja semioottinen lähestymistapa pukujen merkitysten tuottamiseen ja tulkitsemiseen. Käsityksiä puvuista ja pukusuunnittelusta sekä näyttämöpuvun merkityksiä tuotiin esiin käsityötieteen, käytäntölähtöisen ja taiteellisen tutkimuksen menetelmien avulla. Aineistona käytettiin taiteilijoiden prosessikuvauksia, päiväkirjoja, muistiinpanoja ja visuaalisia dokumentteja, kuten luonnoksia ja valokuvia teoksista. Tutkimuksessa käytettiin myös haastattelu- ja kyselymenetelmillä hankittua materiaalia. Tutkimuksen mukaan näyttämöpuvun merkitys vaihteli esityskontekstin, prosessin vaiheen ja tarkastelunäkökulman mukaan. Puvun merkitys on erilainen oopperan eri tekijöille. Ohjaajalle puku toimii visuaalisen näyttämökuvan luomisen lisäksi työvälineenä näyttämötoiminnan suunnittelussa, esiintyjälle se toimii muun muassa roolinrakennuksen tukena ja suojana esitystilanteissa. Katsojille näyttämöpuku antaa esimerkiksi mahdollisuuden luoda tulkintoja roolihahmojen luonteista, teosten tarinoista tai esitysten taustoista. Suunnitteluprosesseissa tuotettujen luonnosten vaikutus teosten näyttämökuviin näkyi selkeästi vertailtaessa luonnoksia ja valokuvia näyttämötilanteista. Sävellysluonnosten kautta oli huomattavissa, että eri alojen luovat prosessit jossain määrin muistuttavat toisiaan. Taiteellisten prosessien mahdollisimman tarkka dokumentointi ja dokumenttien analysointi avaa mahdollisuuden ymmärtää, mitä taiteen tekemisen prosesseissa tapahtuu

Suitability of Paper-Based Substrates for Printed Electronics

Flexible plastic substrates are widely used in printed electronics; however, they cause major climate impacts and pose sustainability challenges. In recent years, paper-based electronics has been studied to increase the recyclability and sustainability of printed electronics. The aim of this paper is to analyze the printability and performance of metal conductor layers on different paper-based substrates using both flexography and screen printing and to compare the achieved performance with that of plastic foils. In addition, the re-pulpability potential of the used paper-based substrates is evaluated. As compared to the common polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate, the layer conductivity on paper-based substrates was found to be improved with both the printing methods without having a large influence on the detail rendering. This means that a certain surface roughness and porosity is needed for the improved ink transfer and optimum ink behavior on the surface of the substrate. In the case of uncoated paper-based substrates, the conductivity and print quality decreased by preventing the formation of the proper and intimate ink-substrate contact during the ink transfer. Finally, the re-pulpability trials together with layer quality analysis detected very good, coated substrate candidates for paper-based printed electronics competing with or even outperforming the print quality on the reference PET foil

Three-dimensional Forming of Multi-layered Materials: Material Heat Response and Quality Aspects

The micro- and macrostructural changes occurring in multi-layered substrates during three-dimensional forming were studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical analyses. Particular attention was paid to heat-induced deformations at the interface between of polymeric coating layer and the paperboard. With excessive heat transfer, occasional delamination of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) coating from the paperboard was observed. The mechanism behind delamination was studied in detail in-situ with an AFM at temperatures relevant to the converting process. Based on the analysis, the delamination could partially be linked to the widening of the initially-existing nano-scale cracks at the coating-paperboard interface due to the high temperature, rigid and less adhesive PET crystallites close to the paperboard layer, and the emergence of fissures and tensile stresses in the coating. SEM images also revealed severe macro-scale delamination in the paperboard matrix after forming. However, the results were somewhat conflicting, since optical and machine vision analyses showed indisputably that both the visual quality and the dimensional accuracy of formed trays were better at the higher forming temperature

Genetic determinants of heel bone properties: genome-wide association meta-analysis and replication in the GEFOS/GENOMOS consortium

Quantitative ultrasound of the heel captures heel bone properties that independently predict fracture risk and, with bone mineral density (BMD) assessed by X-ray (DXA), may be convenient alternatives for evaluating osteoporosis and fracture risk. We performed a meta-analysis of genome-wide association (GWA) studies to assess the genetic determinants of heel broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA; n = 14 260), velocity of sound (VOS; n = 15 514) and BMD (n = 4566) in 13 discovery cohorts. Independent replication involved seven cohorts with GWA data (in silico n = 11 452) and new genotyping in 15 cohorts (de novo n = 24 902). In combined random effects, meta-analysis of the discovery and replication cohorts, nine single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) had genome-wide significant (P < 5 × 10(-8)) associations with heel bone properties. Alongside SNPs within or near previously identified osteoporosis susceptibility genes including ESR1 (6q25.1: rs4869739, rs3020331, rs2982552), SPTBN1 (2p16.2: rs11898505), RSPO3 (6q22.33: rs7741021), WNT16 (7q31.31: rs2908007), DKK1 (10q21.1: rs7902708) and GPATCH1 (19q13.11: rs10416265), we identified a new locus on chromosome 11q14.2 (rs597319 close to TMEM135, a gene recently linked to osteoblastogenesis and longevity) significantly associated with both BUA and VOS (P < 8.23 × 10(-14)). In meta-analyses involving 25 cohorts with up to 14 985 fracture cases, six of 10 SNPs associated with heel bone properties at P < 5 × 10(-6) also had the expected direction of association with any fracture (P < 0.05), including three SNPs with P < 0.005: 6q22.33 (rs7741021), 7q31.31 (rs2908007) and 10q21.1 (rs7902708). In conclusion, this GWA study reveals the effect of several genes common to central DXA-derived BMD and heel ultrasound/DXA measures and points to a new genetic locus with potential implications for better understanding of osteoporosis pathophysiology

Genomic correlates of glatiramer acetate adverse cardiovascular effects lead to a novel locus mediating coronary risk

Glatiramer acetate is used therapeutically in multiple sclerosis but also known for adverse effects including elevated coronary artery disease (CAD) risk. The mechanisms underlying the cardiovascular side effects of the medication are unclear. Here, we made use of the chromosomal variation in the genes that are known to be affected by glatiramer treatment. Focusing on genes and gene products reported by drug-gene interaction database to interact with glatiramer acetate we explored a large meta-analysis on CAD genome-wide association studies aiming firstly, to investigate whether variants in these genes also affect cardiovascular risk and secondly, to identify new CAD risk genes. We traced association signals in a 200-kb region around genomic positions of genes interacting with glatiramer in up to 60 801 CAD cases and 123 504 controls. We validated the identified association in additional 21 934 CAD cases and 76 087 controls. We identified three new CAD risk alleles within the TGFB1 region on chromosome 19 that independently affect CAD risk. The lead SNP rs12459996 was genome-wide significantly associated with CAD in the extended meta-analysis (odds ratio 1.09, p = 1.58×10-12). The other two SNPs at the locus were not in linkage disequilibrium with the lead SNP and by a conditional analysis showed p-values of 4.05 × 10-10 and 2.21 × 10-6. Thus, studying genes reported to interact with glatiramer acetate we identified genetic variants that concordantly with the drug increase the risk of CAD. Of these, TGFB1 displayed signal for association. Indeed, the gene has been associated with CAD previously in both in vivo and in vitro studies. Here we establish genome-wide significant association with CAD in large human samples.This work was supported by grants from the Fondation Leducq (CADgenomics: Understanding CAD Genes, 12CVD02), the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) within the framework of the e:Med research and funding concept (e:AtheroSysMed, grant 01ZX1313A-2014 and SysInflame, grant 01ZX1306A), and the European Union Seventh Framework Programme FP7/2007-2013 under grant agreement no HEALTH-F2-2013-601456 (CVgenes-at-target). Further grants were received from the DFG as part of the Sonderforschungsbereich CRC 1123 (B2). T.K. was supported by a DZHK Rotation Grant. I.B. was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) cluster of excellence ‘Inflammation at Interfaces’. F.W.A. is supported by a Dekker scholarship-Junior Staff Member 2014T001 - Netherlands Heart Foundation and UCL Hospitals NIHR Biomedical Research Centre

Genome-wide association meta-analyses and fine-mapping elucidate pathways influencing albuminuria

Abstract: Increased levels of the urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) are associated with higher risk of kidney disease progression and cardiovascular events, but underlying mechanisms are incompletely understood. Here, we conduct trans-ethnic (n = 564,257) and European-ancestry specific meta-analyses of genome-wide association studies of UACR, including ancestry- and diabetes-specific analyses, and identify 68 UACR-associated loci. Genetic correlation analyses and risk score associations in an independent electronic medical records database (n = 192,868) reveal connections with proteinuria, hyperlipidemia, gout, and hypertension. Fine-mapping and trans-Omics analyses with gene expression in 47 tissues and plasma protein levels implicate genes potentially operating through differential expression in kidney (including TGFB1, MUC1, PRKCI, and OAF), and allow coupling of UACR associations to altered plasma OAF concentrations. Knockdown of OAF and PRKCI orthologs in Drosophila nephrocytes reduces albumin endocytosis. Silencing fly PRKCI further impairs slit diaphragm formation. These results generate a priority list of genes and pathways for translational research to reduce albuminuria

Target genes, variants, tissues and transcriptional pathways influencing human serum urate levels.

Elevated serum urate levels cause gout and correlate with cardiometabolic diseases via poorly understood mechanisms. We performed a trans-ancestry genome-wide association study of serum urate in 457,690 individuals, identifying 183 loci (147 previously unknown) that improve the prediction of gout in an independent cohort of 334,880 individuals. Serum urate showed significant genetic correlations with many cardiometabolic traits, with genetic causality analyses supporting a substantial role for pleiotropy. Enrichment analysis, fine-mapping of urate-associated loci and colocalization with gene expression in 47 tissues implicated the kidney and liver as the main target organs and prioritized potentially causal genes and variants, including the transcriptional master regulators in the liver and kidney, HNF1A and HNF4A. Experimental validation showed that HNF4A transactivated the promoter of ABCG2, encoding a major urate transporter, in kidney cells, and that HNF4A p.Thr139Ile is a functional variant. Transcriptional coregulation within and across organs may be a general mechanism underlying the observed pleiotropy between urate and cardiometabolic traits.The Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) Project was supported by the Common Fund of the Office of the Director of the National Institutes of Health, and by NCI, NHGRI, NHLBI, NIDA, NIMH, and NINDS. Variant annotation was supported by software resources provided via the Caché Campus program of the InterSystems GmbH to Alexander Teumer