Fibre gratings

US6396855; US6396855 B1; US6396855B1; US6,396,855; US 6,396,855 B1; 6396855; Application No. 09/679,539USVersion of Recor

Frequency instability in Er/Yb fiber grating lasers due to heating by nonradiative transitions

Author name used in this publication: Demokan, M. S.Version of RecordPublishe

The pair faction of massive galaxies at 0 ≤ z ≤ 3

Using a mass-selected (M-star >= 10(11) M-circle dot) sample of 198 galaxies at 0 <= z <= 3.0 with Hubble Space Telescope/NICMOS H-160-band images from the COSMOS survey, we find evidence for the evolution of the pair fraction above z similar to 2, an epoch in which massive galaxies are believed to undergo significant structural and mass evolution. We observe that the pair fraction of massive galaxies is 0.15 +/- 0.08 at 1.7 <= z <= 3.0, where galaxy pairs are defined as massive galaxies having a companion of flux ratio from 1:1 to 1:4 within a projected separation of 30 kpc. This is slightly lower but still consistent with the pair fraction measured previously in other studies, and the merger fraction predicted in halo-occupation modeling. The redshift evolution of the pair fraction is described by a power law F(z) = (0.07 +/- 0.04) x (1 + z)(0.6 +/- 0.5). The merger rate is consistent with no redshift evolution; however it is difficult to constrain due to the limited sample size and the high uncertainties in the merging timescale. Based on the merger rate calculation, we estimate that a massive galaxy undergoes on average 1.1 +/- 0.5 major mergers from z = 3 to 0. The observed merger fraction is sufficient to explain the number density evolution of massive galaxies, but insufficient to explain the size evolution. This is a hint that mechanism(s) other than major merging may be required to increase the sizes of the massive, compact quiescent galaxies from z similar to 2 to 0

Co-delivery of PD-L1- and EGFR-targeting siRNAs by synthetic PEG12-KL4 peptide to the lungs as potential strategy against non-small cell lung cancer

Background: Small interfering RNA (siRNA) holds great promise for treating various lung diseases, but the lack of safe and efficient pulmonary siRNA delivery systems has hindered its advance into the clinics. The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) which promotes cell proliferation, and the programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) which plays a crucial role in suppressing cytotoxic T cells activity, are two important targets for treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Here, we explored the potential of PEG12-KL4, a synthetic peptide, to deliver siRNA to various NSCLC cells and to lung tissues in mice. // Methods: PEG12-KL4 was used to transfect siRNAs targeted at both EGFR and PD-L1 into NSCLC cells. Immunoblotting was used to evaluate the siRNA silencing effects in HCC827 and NCI-H1975 NSCLC cells. CD8+ T cell-mediated NSCLC cell killing was employed to demonstrate the functional effects of PD-L1 siRNA knock-down. Fluorescent siRNAs were used to visualise siRNA uptake in cells as well as to enable biodistribution studies in BALB/c mice. // Results: Our results showed that PEG12-KL4 was efficient in mediating siRNA knock-down of EGFR and PD-L1 in various NSCLC cells. Importantly, the PEG12-KL4 peptide enabled significantly better siRNA delivery than the commercial Lipofectamine 2000 reagent. We hypothesised that PEG12-KL4 peptide enabled siRNA to either escape from or bypass endosomal degradation as indicated by confocal fluorescence imaging. Notably, combined knock-down of EGFR and PD-L1 in NCI-H1975 cells resulted in better effector T cell-mediated cancer cell killing than knock-down of PD-L1 alone. Moreover, biodistribution of PEG12-KL4/siRNA complexes following intravenous administration revealed poor lung delivery with the fluorescent siRNA accumulating in the liver. In contrast, intratracheal delivery of PEG12-KL4/siRNA complexes resulted in the fluorescent siRNA to be detected in the lung with retarded renal excretion. // Conclusion: In conclusion, we demonstrated that the co-delivery of siRNAs targeting EGFR and PD-L1 using PEG12-KL4 is feasible and represents a promising future strategy to treat NSCLC, whereby pulmonary siRNA delivery is favourable to intravenous administration

Subsideband generation and modulational instability lasing in a fiber soliton laser

2001-2002 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

CORRECTION Open Access

tumor progression enhances the oncogenic capacity of advanced ovarian cance

A massive stellar bulge in a regularly rotating galaxy 1.2 billion years after the Big Bang.

Cosmological models predict that galaxies forming in the early Universe experience a chaotic phase of gas accretion and star formation, followed by gas ejection due to feedback processes. Galaxy bulges may assemble later via mergers or internal evolution. Here we present submillimeter observations (with spatial resolution of 700 parsecs) of ALESS 073.1, a starburst galaxy at redshift [Formula: see text] when the Universe was 1.2 billion years old. This galaxy's cold gas forms a regularly rotating disk with negligible noncircular motions. The galaxy rotation curve requires the presence of a central bulge in addition to a star-forming disk. We conclude that massive bulges and regularly rotating disks can form more rapidly in the early Universe than predicted by models of galaxy formation.ERC STF

Compound pulse solitons in a fiber ring laser

Author name used in this publication: H. Y. Tam2003-2004 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Bound-soliton fiber laser

Author name used in this publication: H. Y. Tam2002-2003 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

All-cause and cause-specific mortality in individuals with an alcohol-related emergency or hospital inpatient presentation: A retrospective data linkage cohort study

Background and Aims: Alcohol consumption is a leading risk factor for premature mortality globally, but there are limited studies of broader cohorts of people presenting with alcohol-related problems outside of alcohol treatment services. We used linked health administrative data to estimate all-cause and cause-specific mortality among individuals who had an alcohol-related hospital inpatient or emergency department presentation. Design: Observational study using data from the Data linkage Alcohol Cohort Study (DACS), a state-wide retrospective cohort of individuals with an alcohol-related hospital inpatient or emergency department presentation. Setting: Hospital inpatient or emergency department presentation in New South Wales, Australia, between 2005 and 2014. Participants: Participants comprised 188 770 individuals aged 12 and above, 66% males, median age 39 years at index presentation. Measurements: All-cause mortality was estimated up to 2015 and cause-specific mortality (by those attributable to alcohol and by specific cause of death groups) up to 2013 due to data availability. Age-specific and age–sex-specific crude mortality rates (CMRs) were estimated, and standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated using sex and age-specific deaths rates from the NSW population. Findings: There were 188 770 individuals in the cohort (1 079 249 person-years of observation); 27 855 deaths were recorded (14.8% of the cohort), with a CMR of 25.8 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 25.5, 26.1] per 1000 person-years and SMR of 6.2 (95% CI = 5.4, 7.2). Mortality in the cohort was consistently higher than the general population in all adult age groups and in both sexes. The greatest excess mortality was from mental and behavioural disorders due to alcohol use (SMR = 46.7, 95% CI = 41.4, 52.7), liver cirrhosis (SMR = 39.0, 95% CI = 35.5, 42.9), viral hepatitis (SMR = 29.4, 95% CI = 24.6, 35.2), pancreatic diseases (SMR = 23.8, 95% CI = 17.9, 31.5) and liver cancer (SMR = 18.3, 95% CI = 14.8, 22.5). There were distinct differences between the sexes in causes of excess mortality (all causes fully attributable to alcohol female versus male risk ratio = 2.5 (95% CI = 2.0, 3.1). Conclusions: In New South Wales, Australia, people who came in contact with an emergency department or hospital for an alcohol-related presentation between 2005 and 2014 were at higher risk of mortality than the general New South Wales population during the same period