Modal analysis of holey fiber mode-selective couplers

Mode Division Multiplexing is currently investigated as a possible way to increase fiber system capacity. With this approach, different modes of the same fiber carry distinct information. One of the problems to be solved in these systems concerns coupling/decoupling of the various modes to/from the same fiber. In this presentation, the mode features of a mode mux/demux based on holey fibers are investigated, with particular emphasis on optimal device design. Some preliminary experimental results will also be presented

Clinical outcomes in a subpopulation of adults with Morquio A syndrome: results from a long-term extension study of elosulfase alfa

Background: This post hoc subanalysis examined outcomes in adult patients with Morquio A (mucopolysaccharidosis IVA) who received enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) with elosulfase alfa over a 120-weeks period. Patients ≥18 years of age evaluated in an open-label, long-term extension study of elosulfase alfa (modified per protocol [MPP], n = 32; intent-to-treat [ITT], n = 37; MOR-005; NCT01415427) were compared with the ≥18-year-old untreated population with 2-years follow-up from a Morquio A natural history study (n = 10; MorCAP; NCT00787995). The MOR-005 MPP population excluded patients who underwent orthopedic surgical procedures or were noncompliant with study protocol (defined as missing ≥20% of ERT infusions). No MorCAP patients underwent orthopedic surgical procedures during the relevant time period. Endurance was assessed by the 6-min walk test (6MWT) and 3-min stair climb test (3MSCT). Activities of daily living (ADLs) were assessed by the MPS Health Assessment Questionnaire (MPS HAQ). / Results: Least squares (LS) mean (SE) 6MWT distances increased by 34.9 (11.7) m (MPP) and 30.5 (10.8) m (ITT) by week 120; LS mean (SE) change in 3MSCT at week 120 was 6.7 (1.8) stairs/min (MPP) and 5.9 (1.7) stairs/min (ITT). MorCAP patients showed no improvement in 6MWT distance or 3MSCT over a similar period of time. Pulmonary function measures remained unchanged in both MOR-005 and MorCAP adults. All MPS HAQ domain scores improved in MOR-005 adults, whereas MorCAP adults had unchanged caregiver assistance and mobility outcomes and worsened self-care outcomes. / Conclusions: Long-term ERT in adult patients with Morquio A was associated with increased endurance and improvement in performance of ADLs. / Trial registration: Trial Registration NCT01415427. Name of registry: Long-Term Efficacy and Safety Extension Study of BMN 110 in Patients With Mucopolysaccharidosis IVA (Morquio A Syndrome). Registered 8 August 2011, retrospectively registered

Early respiratory viral infections in infants with cystic fibrosis

This article is made available for unrestricted research re-use and secondary analysis in any form or by any means with acknowledgement of the original source. These permissions are granted for the duration of the World Health Organization (WHO) declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic.Background Viral infections contribute to morbidity in cystic fibrosis (CF), but the impact of respiratory viruses on the development of airway disease is poorly understood. Methods Infants with CF identified by newborn screening were enrolled prior to 4 months of age to participate in a prospective observational study at 4 centers. Clinical data were collected at clinic visits and weekly phone calls. Multiplex PCR assays were performed on nasopharyngeal swabs to detect respiratory viruses during routine visits and when symptomatic. Participants underwent bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and a subset underwent pulmonary function testing. We present findings through 8.5 months of life. Results Seventy infants were enrolled, mean age 3.1 ± 0.8 months. Rhinovirus was the most prevalent virus (66%), followed by parainfluenza (19%), and coronavirus (16%). Participants had a median of 1.5 viral positive swabs (range 0–10). Past viral infection was associated with elevated neutrophil concentrations and bacterial isolates in BAL fluid, including recovery of classic CF bacterial pathogens. When antibiotics were prescribed for respiratory-related indications, viruses were identified in 52% of those instances. Conclusions Early viral infections were associated with greater neutrophilic inflammation and bacterial pathogens. Early viral infections appear to contribute to initiation of lower airway inflammation in infants with CF. Antibiotics were commonly prescribed in the setting of a viral infection. Future investigations examining longitudinal relationships between viral infections, airway microbiome, and antibiotic use will allow us to elucidate the interplay between these factors in young children with CF

Intestinal PPARγ signalling is required for sympathetic nervous system activation in response to caloric restriction.

Nuclear receptor PPARγ has been proven to affect metabolism in multiple tissues, and has received considerable attention for its involvement in colon cancer and inflammatory disease. However, its role in intestinal metabolism has been largely ignored. To investigate this potential aspect of PPARγ function, we submitted intestinal epithelium-specific PPARγ knockout mice (iePPARγKO) to a two-week period of 25% caloric restriction (CR), following which iePPARγKO mice retained more fat than their wild type littermates. In attempting to explain this discrepancy, we analysed the liver, skeletal muscle, intestinal lipid trafficking, and the microbiome, none of which appeared to contribute to the adiposity phenotype. Interestingly, under conditions of CR, iePPARγKO mice failed to activate their sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and increase CR-specific locomotor activity. These KO mice also manifested a defective control of their body temperature, which was overly reduced. Furthermore, the white adipose tissue of iePPARγKO CR mice showed lower levels of both hormone-sensitive lipase, and its phosphorylated form. This would result from impaired SNS signalling and possibly cause reduced lipolysis. We conclude that intestinal epithelium PPARγ plays an essential role in increasing SNS activity under CR conditions, thereby contributing to energy mobilization during metabolically stressful episodes

The prescribed mean curvature equation in weakly regular domains

We show that the characterization of existence and uniqueness up to vertical translations of solutions to the prescribed mean curvature equation, originally proved by Giusti in the smooth case, holds true for domains satisfying very mild regularity assumptions. Our results apply in particular to the non-parametric solutions of the capillary problem for perfectly wetting fluids in zero gravity. Among the essential tools used in the proofs, we mention a \textit{generalized Gauss-Green theorem} based on the construction of the weak normal trace of a vector field with bounded divergence, in the spirit of classical results due to Anzellotti, and a \textit{weak Young's law} for $(\Lambda,r_{0})$-minimizers of the perimeter.Comment: 23 pages, 1 figure --- The results on the weak normal trace of vector fields have been now extended and moved in a self-contained paper available at: arXiv:1708.0139

Analyticity and criticality results for the eigenvalues of the biharmonic operator

We consider the eigenvalues of the biharmonic operator subject to several homogeneous boundary conditions (Dirichlet, Neumann, Navier, Steklov). We show that simple eigenvalues and elementary symmetric functions of multiple eigenvalues are real analytic, and provide Hadamard-type formulas for the corresponding shape derivatives. After recalling the known results in shape optimization, we prove that balls are always critical domains under volume constraint.Comment: To appear on the proceedings of the conference "Geometric Properties for Parabolic and Elliptic PDE's - 4th Italian-Japanese Workshop" held in Palinuro (Italy), May 25-29, 201

Enhanced 3D localisation accuracy of body-mounted miniature antennas using ultra-wideband technology in line-of-sight scenarios

This study presents experimental investigations on high-precision localisation methods of body-worn miniature antennas using ultra-wideband (UWB) technology in line-of-sight conditions. Time of arrival data fusion and peak detection techniques are implemented to estimate the three-dimensional (3D) location of the transmitting tags in terms of x, y, z Cartesian coordinates. Several pseudo-dynamic experiments have been performed by moving the tag antenna in various directions and the precision with which these slight movements could be resolved has been presented. Some more complex localisation experiments have also been undertaken, which involved the tracking of two transmitter tags simultaneously. Excellent 3D localisation accuracy in the range of 1-4 cm has been achieved in various experiment settings. A novel approach for achieving subcentimetre 3D localisation accuracy from UWB technology has been proposed and demonstrated successfully. In this approach, the phase centre information of the antennas in a UWB localisation system is utilised in position estimation to drastically improve the accuracy of the localisation measurements to millimetre levels. By using this technique, the average localisation error has been reduced by 86, 31, and 72% for the x-, y-, and z-axis coordinates, respectively.Published versio