Rate Optimized Probabilistic Shaping-Based Transmission Over Field Deployed Coupled-Core 4-Core-Fiber

Multi-core fiber (MCF) transmission is a promising solution to support ever-increasing future traffic demands. Compared with uncoupled-core MCFs [1], the induced strong coupling in coupled-core (CC)-MCFs reduces the nonlinearity impact [2]. Transmission in these fibers leverages both spatial and wavelength division multiplexing and it has been experimentally tested mainly considering uniform quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) formats [3]. Spectral efficiency can be further optimized by employing probabilistic shaping (PS) but the joint use of CC-MCF and PS has been rarely investigated [4]. In this paper, we present a transmission of PS signals through an infrastructure based on a CC-four core fiber (CC-4CF) deployed in the city of L'Aquila, Italy [5]. We ran experiments comparing the performance of standard polarization multiplexed 16QAM and PS-32QAM signals at a symbol rate of 30 GBaud: 800 Gbps net rate considering the spatial super-channel over four cores. We used the generalized mutual information (GMI) as performance metric and averaged over the 8 polarizations concidering the central channel. A realistic threshold (GMIth) of 3.6 bits/symbol (per spatial mode and polarization) has been set as a target: it is a typical value that guarantees post-FEC error-free transmission for most realistic SD-FEC

Effects of Acute Intracerebroventricular Microinfusions of Bupropion on Background Spike Activity of Locus Coeruleus Neurons in Rats

Considering that noradrenergic (NAE) neurons of the locus coeruleus (LC) play significant roles in the formation of biological rhythms, pain, addictions, and mood disorders, we tested the effects of acute intracerebroventricular microinfusions of bupropion, an inhibitor of NA reuptake used in clinics as an antidepressant, on background spike activity on LC neurons in chloral-hydrate anesthetized rats. Ten microliters of the solutions containing 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, 1.0, or 10.0 µmol bupropion were infused during 3 min; spike activity of single LC neurons identified according to the known characteristics was recorded extracellularly by glass microelectrodes. Microinfusions of 0.01 to 10.0 µmol bupropion suppressed background spiking of the above neurons in a dose-dependent manner. The normalized mean intensities and durations of inhibition were 17.3, 19.4, 26.3, and 41.1% and 1.4, 7.1, 12.4, and 18.3 min, respectively. The smallest dose (0.001 µmol) was ineffective. It is assumed that bupropion increases the NA level in proximity to NAE LC neurons. The actions of bupropion on other cerebral neuromodulatory systems need further examination. Inhibition of LC neuronal activity by bupropion can help to explain some acute, chronic, and side effects of this agent used in clinics for correction of mood disorders.Враховуючи, що норадренергічні (НАЕ) нейрони блакитної плями (locus coeruleus – LC) відіграють істотну роль у формуванні біологічних ритмів, болю, фармакологічних залежностей та розладів настрою, ми тестували впливи гострих інтрацеребровентрикулярних мікроінфузій антидепресанта бупропіону на фонову активність нейронів LC у щурів. Уводили 10 мкл (тривалість інфузій 3 хв) розчинів, що вміщували різні дози (0.001, 0.01, 0.1, 1.0 або 10.0 мкмоль) бупропіону – інгібітора зворотного захоплення норадреналіну, що використовується в клініці як антидепресант. Імпульсну активність поодиноких нейронів LC відводили позаклітинно скляними мікроелектродами. Мікроінфузії 0.01–10.0 мкмоль бупропіону дозозалежно пригнічували фонову імпульсацію цих нейронів. Середня нормована інтенсивність та тривалість гальмування складали в даних випадках 17.3, 19.4, 26.3 і 41.1 % та 1.4, 7.1, 12.4 і 18.3 хв відповідно. Найменша доза бупропіону (0.001 мкмоль) була неефективною. Вважається, що бупропіон зумовлює підвищення рівнів цього катехоламіну в зоні розташування НАЕ-нейронів LC. Взаємодія бупропіону з іншими центральними нейромодуляторними системами потребує подальшого вивчення. Факт гальмування нейронної імпульсної активності в LC під впливом бупропіону може сприяти інтерпретації особливостей гострих та хронічних впливів цього агента та його побічних ефектів при застосуванні в клініці для корекції розладів настрою

Capturing essential physiological aspects of interacting cartilage and bone tissue with osteoarthritis pathophysiology: a human osteochondral unit-on-a-chip model

Given the multi-tissue aspects of osteoarthritis (OA) pathophysiology, translation of OA susceptibility genes towards underlying biological mechanism and eventually drug target discovery requires appropriate human in vitro OA models that incorporate both functional bone and cartilage tissue units. Therefore, a microfluidic chip is developed with an integrated fibrous polycaprolactone matrix in which neo-bone and cartilage are produced, that could serve as a tailored human in vitro disease model of the osteochondral unit of joints. The model enables to evaluate OA-related environmental perturbations to (individual) tissue units by controlling environmental cues, for example by adding biochemical agents. After establishing the co-culture in the system, a layer of cartilaginous matrix is deposited in the chondrogenic compartment, while a bone-like matrix is deposited between the fibers, indicated by both histology and gene expression levels of collagen type 2 and osteopontin, respectively. As proof-of-principle, the bone and cartilaginous tissue are exposed to active thyroid hormone, creating an OA disease model. This results in increased expression levels of hypertrophy markers integrin-binding sialoprotein and alkaline phosphatase in both cartilage and bone, as expected. Altogether, this model could contribute to enhanced translation from OA risk genes towards novel OA therapies.Molecular Epidemiolog

Correction to: Comparison of Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, and Folic Acid Blood Levels in Plumbism Patients and Controls in Eastern Iran (Biological Trace Element Research, (2021), 199, 1, (9-17), 10.1007/s12011-020-02119-6)

The original version of this article unfortunately contained mistakes. & The name of �Namam Ali Azadi� is now corrected in the author group & Fourth to seventh sentence of the Abstract section should be �The results indicated that the mean vitamin B12, vitamin D, and folic acid levels for the case group were 517.3 ± 419.4 pg/ml, 25.1 ± 10.8 ng/ml, and 9.2 ± 6.1 ng/ml, respectively. Mean folic acid level in the case group was significantly lower than control group (Fisher exact test, P < 0.001), whereas the mean of the vitamin D levels at the case group was no significantly higher than the control group (Fisher exact test, P = 0.059). Moreover, mean vitamin B12 levels were significantly different between the case and control groups (Fisher exact test, P = 0.009). In the control group, three patients had folic acid below normal level (< 6 ng/mL), while twelve subjects at case group had folic acid below normal level (P < 0.05).Also, none of the control group had low vitamin B12 concentrations (< 180 pg/ml), while seven subjects of case group had vitamin B12 below normal level (P < 0.05).� & In page 6, Discussion part, 4th paragraph: We found that mean blood folate levels in the lead-poisoned patients, who had a mean BLL of 66 ± 37. 3 µg/dl, were significantly lower than in healthy subjects (9.2 ± 6.1 ng/ml vs. 12.70 pg/ml). © 2020, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature