Scalable High-Order UWB Pulse Generation Employing an FBG-Based Photonic Superstructure

In this letter, we propose and experimentally demonstrate a compact, flexible, and scalable ultrawideband (UWB) generator based on the merge of phase-to-intensity conversion and pulse shaping employing an fiber Bragg Grating-based superstructure. Our approach offers the capacity for generating high-order UWB pulses by means of the combination of various low-order derivatives. Moreover, the scheme permits the implementation of binary and multilevel modulation formats. Experimental measurements of the generated UWB pulses, in both time and frequency domain, are presented revealing efficiency and a proper fit in terms of Federal Communications Commission settled standards.This work was supported in part by the National Project under Grant TEC2010-21303-C04-02, Grant TEC2011-26642, and Grant TEC2014-58048-C2-2-P through the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad and in part by the Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional under Project UPVOV08-3E-008.Moreno, V.; Mora Almerich, J.; Muriel, M.; Capmany Francoy, J. (2015). Scalable High-Order UWB Pulse Generation Employing an FBG-Based Photonic Superstructure. IEEE Photonics Technology Letters. 27(20):2146-2149. doi:10.1109/LPT.2015.2454952S21462149272

Tuning Ca3Co4O9 thermal and transport properties by TiC nanoparticles addition

Ca3Co4O9 + xwt.% TiC (x = 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1.0) polycrystalline thermoelectric ceramics have been prepared through the classical ceramic route. XRD characterization has demonstrated that all samples are mainly composed by the Ca3Co4O9 phase, while microstructural observation has shown that no reaction between both components has been produced. Moreover, TiC particles are well distributed for small additions, and start to agglomerate from 0.75 wt.% content. Density measurements showed that nearly no changes have been produced by TiC addition and nearly the whole porosity appears as open one. Furthermore, electrical resistivity decreases up to 0.75 wt.% addition, increasing for higher content. On the other hand, Seebeck coefficient has been maintained unchanged in all samples. In spite of an irregular behaviour of thermal conductivity with temperature, it tends to decrease when the temperature is raised, displaying the lowest values for the 0.25 wt.% samples. These data led to an increase of about 40% in ZT values at 800 °C for samples with 0.25 wt.% addition, when compared with the pure ones. Finally, linear thermal expansion coefficient is decreased when TiC content is increased, which can be exploited to fit the thermal expansion coefficients of all the components used to build a power generation thermoelectric module

Ethane internal rotation-Vibrational Hamiltonian

One of the main purposes of a theoretical spectroscopist is to propose a model to reproduce the xperimental spectra available in the literature as accurate and with as much physical information as possible. In this case it has been studied the Far infrared an Infrared spectra of non-rigid molecules, introducing in the Vibrational Potential their dependence on the large amplitude variables. The molecule that has been selected to test our proposed Hamiltonian is ethane which is a very well studied molecule. The molecule is a non-rigid molecule and their experimental spectra have been reported in the literature. © 2008, Sociedad Química de MéxicoPeer Reviewe

Blood biomarkers and treatment response in major depression

Introduction: Millions of people worldwide suffer from depression, but despite advances in pharmacological therapies, many patients do not experience symptomatic remission or treatment response, even after treatments with several medications. As such, there is an urgent need to identify biomarkers that can not only predict the treatment response but also allow a rational selection of optimal therapy for each patient. Areas covered: This review examines the recent findings, coming from different \u2018omic sciences,\u2019 in human blood-based biomarkers associated with antidepressant treatment response with particular attention on genetic/epigenetic and biochemical biomarkers. Specific emphasis will be placed on key molecules related to neuroplasticity and inflammation because of their involvement in the pathophysiology of depression and antidepressant response. Expert commentary: Biomarker identification is still an ongoing work. Indeed, to date, no biomarkers have sufficiently proven specificity, sensitivity, and reproducibility to be used in the clinical setting. However, \u2018omic\u2019 approaches hold great promise in identifying multiple features for predicting antidepressant response, making a personalized treatment strategy possible for each patient, and thereby assist with quick and efficacious responsiveness. It is thus necessary that future studies take an integrative approach that includes clinical assessment, environment influences, and molecular and biological biomarkers

Identification of a miRNAs signature associated with exposure to stress early in life and enhanced vulnerability for schizophrenia: New insights for the key role of miR-125b-1-3p in neurodevelopmental processes

Epidemiological and clinical studies have provided evidence for a role of both genetic and environmental factors, such as stressful experiences early in life, in the pathogenesis of Schizophrenia (SZ) and microRNAs (miRNAs) have been suggested to play a key role in the interplay between the environment and our genome. In this study, we conducted a miRNOme analysis in different samples (blood of adult subjects exposed to childhood trauma, brain (hippocampus) of rats exposed to prenatal stress and human hippocampal progenitor cells treated with cortisol) and we identified miR-125b-1-3p as a down-regulated miRNA in all the three datasets. Interestingly, a significant down-regulation was observed also in SZ patients exposed to childhood trauma. To investigate the biological systems targeted by miR-125b-1-3p and also involved in the effects of stress, we combined the list of biological pathways modulated by predicted and validated target genes of miR-125b-1-3p, with the biological systems significantly regulated by cortisol in the in vitro model. We found, as common pathways, the CXCR4 signaling, the G-alpha signaling, and the P2Y Purigenic Receptor Signaling Pathway, which are all involved in neurodevelopmental processes. Our data, obtained from the combining of miRNAs datasets across different tissues and species, identified miR-125b-1-3p as a key marker associated with the long-term effects of stress early in life and also with the enhanced vulnerability of developing SZ. The identification of such a miRNA biomarker could allow the early detection of vulnerable subjects for SZ and could provide the basis for the development of preventive therapeutic strategies

Vegetative growth response of beets and lettuce to stored human urine

ArticleIn this work, we present the experimental results of the effect of stored human urine (SHU) on the growth of beets (Beta vulgaris L) and lettuce (Lactuca sativaL). We apply different amounts of SHU according to the recommended dose of nitrogen, considering soil from farmland and vermiculite as substrates. The last allows us to determine with high precision the isolated effect of SHU over the vegetative development of beet plants, without considering other nutrients present in common soils. Experimental results demonstrate that the application of SHU has no significant effects on lettuce vegetative growth under our soil conditions. In contrast, SHU can be used successfully as a fertilizer of beets. The optimum dose was found at 120kgN ha-1and resulted in average dry weight of 125g. However, if the dose exceeds the optimum levels, the growth of the plant is inhibited. Beets fertilized with SHU does not pose any hygienic risk for human consumption. Our findings represent a promising alternative to propose expanding the use of SHU as fertilizer in medium-sized greenhouses and to provide benefits to families in rural areas, with little or no available water supplies

Evaluation of polyherbal methionine and choline in feedlot rations for lambs

Requirements of lambs for choline and methionine have not been clearly established, but because of their metabolic relationship, the availability of these two nutrients may affect protein synthesis and energy balance. Therefore, a trial was carried out to evaluate the effect on productive performance and blood metabolites of including methionine and choline from polyherbal mixtures in finishing lamb diets. Forty Hampshire x Suffolk lambs weighing 26.9 ± 2.8 kg were used for a 45-day experiment. The treatments were arranged as a 2x2 factorial, in which the factors were dietary supplementation with herbal methionine and choline at two levels (0% and 0.4% of dry matter (DM)). The treatments had no effects on the lambs’ productive variables (daily feed intake, average daily gain, and feed to gain ratio), carcass characteristics and lipid metabolites (P >0.05). The results indicated that the inclusion of polyherbal mixtures containing methionine, choline and their combination at 0.4% of DM in finishing lamb diets showed no benefits in productive response or in blood metabolites related to lipid metabolism. Keywords: amino acid, lipid metabolites, productive performance, ruminally protected, vitami