Observation of accelerating parabolic beams

We report the first observation of accelerating parabolic beams. These accelerating parabolic beams are similar to the Airy beams because they exhibit the unusual ability to remain diffraction-free while having a quadratic transverse shift during propagation. The amplitude and phase masks required to generate these beams are encoded onto a single liquid crystal display. Experimental results agree well with theory

Droplet Condensation and Actuation via Surface Acoustic Waves on Lubricant Infused Surfaces

Both lubricant-infused surfaces and surface acoustic waves have been studied for their applicability to the field of microfluidics. However, combining the use of the two technologies has not been thoroughly explored. Specifically, this research aims to build off of the work done with single droplets last semester to characterize the way surface acoustic waves cause condensed droplets to behave over a range of wave frequencies and amplitudes, as well as droplet sizes, for possible heat transfer applications. From this study, it is clear that there are four distinct modes of droplet actuation for a given frequency, depending on their size. Large droplets (high diameter) actuate freely, while a range of smaller droplets will not move at all. Droplets that are smaller still will start to move again to a point, while the smallest droplets observed did not move, but did evaporate more quickly when exposed to surface acoustic waves. The exact mechanisms driving this behavior are not currently understood, but still this research shows promise, as further developing an understanding of these phases of droplet movement could allow for greater control in microfluidic applications

Generation of accelerating Airy and accelerating parabolic beams using phase-only patterns

We generate both accelerated Airy and accelerated parabolic beams using phase-only patterns encoded onto a liquid crystal display (LCD). The usual system length is 2f, where f is the focal length of the Fourier transform lens. We develop a compact optical system having a total system length of f. However, the mask must now incorporate the Fresnel diffraction that is not provided by the reduced optical system length. Finally we incorporate the Fourier transform lens onto the mask. We obtain excellent experimental results with a phase-only pattern and a shorter optical system. This approach makes these beams much easier to implement

Multi-trait genome-wide association study identifies new loci associated with optic disc parameters.

Funder: All funders per study are acknowledged in the Supplementary FileA new avenue of mining published genome-wide association studies includes the joint analysis of related traits. The power of this approach depends on the genetic correlation of traits, which reflects the number of pleiotropic loci, i.e. genetic loci influencing multiple traits. Here, we applied new meta-analyses of optic nerve head (ONH) related traits implicated in primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG); intraocular pressure and central corneal thickness using Haplotype reference consortium imputations. We performed a multi-trait analysis of ONH parameters cup area, disc area and vertical cup-disc ratio. We uncover new variants; rs11158547 in PPP1R36-PLEKHG3 and rs1028727 near SERPINE3 at genome-wide significance that replicate in independent Asian cohorts imputed to 1000 Genomes. At this point, validation of these variants in POAG cohorts is hampered by the high degree of heterogeneity. Our results show that multi-trait analysis is a valid approach to identify novel pleiotropic variants for ONH

Multi-trait genome-wide association study identifies new loci associated with optic disc parameters

A new avenue of mining published genome-wide association studies includes the joint analysis of related traits. The power of this approach depends on the genetic correlation of traits, which reflects the number of pleiotropic loci, i.e. genetic loci influencing multiple traits. Here, we applied new meta-analyses of optic nerve head (ONH) related traits implicated in primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG); intraocular pressure and central corneal thickness using Haplotype reference consortium imputations. We performed a multi-trait analysis of ONH parameters cup area, disc area and vertical cup-disc ratio. We uncover new variants; rs11158547 in PPP1R36-PLEKHG3 and rs1028727 near SERPINE3 at genome-wide significance that replicate in independent Asian cohorts imputed to 1000 Genomes. At this point, validation of these variants in POAG cohorts is hampered by the high degree of heterogeneity. Our results show that multi-trait analysis is a valid approach to identify novel pleiotropic variants for ONH

Character and temporal evolution of apoptosis in acetaminophen-induced acute liver failure

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the role of hepatocellular and extrahepatic apoptosis during the evolution of Acetaminophen-induced acute liver failure (AALF). DESIGN & SETTING: A prospective observational study in two tertiary liver transplant units. PATIENTS: 88 patients with AALF were recruited. Control groups included patients with non-AALF (n=13), non-hepatic multi-organ failure (MOF, n=28), chronic liver disease (CLD, n=19) and healthy controls (HC, n=11). MEASUREMENTS: Total and caspase-cleaved cytokeratin 18 (M65 and M30 measured on admission and sequentially on day 3, 7 and 10 following admission. Levels were also determined from hepatic, portal vein and systemic arterial blood in seven patients undergoing transplantation. Protein arrays of liver homogenates from AALF patients were assessed for apoptosis-associated proteins and histological assessment of liver tissue was performed. MAIN RESULTS: Admission M30 levels were significantly elevated in AALF and NALF patients compared to MOF, CLD and healthy controls. Admission M30 levels correlated with outcome with AUROC of 0.755 (0.639-0.885, p<0.001). Peak levels in ALF patients were seen on admission then fell significantly but did not normalize over ten days. A negative gradient of M30 from the portal to hepatic vein was demonstrated in AALF patients (p=0.042) at the time of liver transplant. Analysis of protein array data demonstrated lower apoptosis-associated protein and higher catalase concentrations in AALF liver compared to controls (p<0.05). Explant histological analysis revealed evidence of cellular proliferation with an absence of histological evidence of apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS: Hepatocellular apoptosis occurs in the early phases of human AALF, peaking on day 1 of hospital admission and correlates strongly with poor outcome. Hepatic regenerative/tissue repair responses prevail during the later stages of ALF where elevated levels of M30 are likely to reflect epithelial cell death in extra-hepatic organs