246 research outputs found
Broadband Operation of High-Speed All-Optical Gated Wavelength Shifter
No full textWe report an extensive experimental wavelength characterization of a scheme for all-optical gated wavelength shifting operation. This scheme is suitable for dynamic wavelength routing and add or drop operation in wavelength-division multiplexing systems and optical packet switched networks. A single semiconductor-optical amplifier Mach–Zehnder interferometer with a multi-inputs configuration is exploited. We demonstrate an error-free operation in the case of 10 Gb/s NRZ-OOK data with moderate power penalties over the entire C-band
Primary umbilical endometriosis. Case report and discussion on management options.
No full textINTRODUCTION: We report a recently observed case of primary umbilical endometriosis (UE), with the main aim to discuss the management of this rare condition. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 24-year-old woman complained of a painful nodule on her umbilical region, bleeding with her menstrual cycle. Ultrasonography showed a hypoechoic superficial mass in the umbili- cus and no signs of intra-abdominal endometriosis. Excision of the nodule under local anesthesia was performed. Histopathological analysis confirmed the diagnosis of umbilical endometriosis. Neither symp- toms nor signs of local recurrence have been observed after 24 months.
DISCUSSION: UE should be taken into account in differential diagnosis of umbilical disorders even in young nulliparous women with no typical symptoms of pelvic endometriosis. Although there is a substantial agreement about the necessity of surgery, treatment options are either local excision of the lesion or removal of the whole umbilicus with or without laparoscopic exploration of the peritoneal cavity. The decision should be tailored for the individual patient, taking into consideration the size of the lesion, the duration of symptoms and the presence of possible pelvic endometriosis.
CONCLUSION: Local excision saving the umbilicus may be the treatment of choice in patients with small UE lesions
Estimation of Spectral Notches from Pinna Meshes: Insights from a Simple Computational Model
No full textWhile previous research on spatial sound perception investigated the physical mechanisms producing the most relevant elevation cues, how spectral notches are generated and related to the individual morphology of the human pinna is still a topic of debate. Correctly modeling these important elevation cues, and in particular the lowest frequency notches, is an essential step for individualizing Head-Related Transfer Functions (HRTFs). In this paper we propose a simple computational model able to predict the center frequencies of pinna notches from ear meshes. We apply such a model to a highly controlled HRTF dataset built with the specific purpose of understanding the contribution of the pinna to the HRTF. Results show that the computational model is able to approximate the lowest frequency notch with improved accuracy with respect to other state-of-the-art methods. By contrast, the model fails to predict higher-order pinna notches correctly. The proposed approximation supplements understanding of the morphology involved in generating spectral notches in experimental HRTFs.Design Aesthetic
A novel method to allow noninvasive, longitudinal imaging of the murine immune system in vivo
No full textIn vivo imaging has revolutionized understanding of the spatiotemporal complexity that subserves the generation of successful effector and regulatory immune responses. Until now, invasive surgery has been required for microscopic access to lymph nodes (LNs), making repeated imaging of the same animal impractical and potentially affecting lymphocyte behavior. To allow longitudinal in vivo imaging, we conceived the novel approach of transplanting LNs into
the mouse ear pinna. Transplanted LNs maintain the structural and cellular organization of conventional secondary lymphoid organs. They participate in lymphocyte
recirculation and exhibit the capacity to receive and respond to local antigenic challenge. The same LN could be repeatedly imaged through time without the requirement for surgical exposure, and the dynamic behavior of the cells within the transplanted LN could be characterized. Crucially, the use of blood vessels as fiducial markers also allowed precise re-registration of the same regions for
longitudinal imaging. Thus, we provide the first demonstration of a method for repeated, noninvasive, in vivo imaging of lymphocyte behavior
Perimortem cesarean delivery 30 minutes after a laboring patient jumped from a fourth-floor window: baby survives and is normal at age 4 years
No full textWe describe the first case of a perimortem cesarean section on a patient who committed suicide during labor by jumping from the fourth-floor window of the labor ward. The cesarean section was performed 30 minutes after the death of the woman, and a child of 3037 g was born with an Apgar score of 0 at 1 minute. Today, 4 years later, the baby is well and has no apparent neurological problem
Presentation and book signing for A Face from Uranus: Correspondence Between Tedd Burr and Henry Bellamann 1943-1945.
No full textAuthor Lenny Pinna will give a presentation and book signing for A Face from Uranus: Correspondence Between Tedd Burr and Henry Bellamann 1943-1945. Lenny researched the Henry and Katherine Bellamann Collection to help produce this book. As part of the presentation he will donate all of the correspondence between Burr and Bellamann to the Archives.
A little bit about the book: It\u27s 1943. As World War II commands the world\u27s stage, nineteen year old Tedd Burr struggles with his own private battle-gender identity. After receiving a draft notice, Tedd reaches out in desperation to Henry Bellamann, author of the best-selling 1940 novel Kings Row, for advice. Tedd imagines that the author who wrote sympathetically in his novel about a boy who was too pretty for a boy might be able to help him in some way. And he\u27s right. Henry responds, initiating a warm correspondence that deepens into a relationship that lasts until Henry\u27s death in 1945. This book publishes for the first time all the letters from Tedd and Henry\u27s correspondence.
Rachael Price, Associate Professor of English at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College writes that the book “captures with poignant clarity the experiences of a young man struggling with his genderqueer identity in the 1940s Midwest.”
Later at 7pm, Lenny Pinna will screen his film Letters to Uranus: The Hidden Life of Tedd Burr in Archives and Special Collections
Review on SOA-MZI-based photonic add/drop and switching operations
No full textSemiconductor optical amplifier-Mach-Zehnder interferometer (SOA-MZI) is a technologically mature optical device that can be exploited for a wide range of operations on both amplitude and phase modulated signals, with performance limited by the carrier lifetime in the SOAs. Recent advances on SOA structures have demonstrated their suitability for high quality, ultra-fast photonic signal processing, making SOA-MZI a good candidate for elaborating signals in new generation high-capacity optical networks. Dynamic wavelength switching/routing and add/drop operations are expected to bring benefits in future optical networks in terms of improved system flexibility and efficiency. The capability of performing such operations directly in the optical domain can significantly reduce the number of opto/electrical and electro/optical conversions in the routing nodes, reducing their power consumption and their latency time. Moreover, since phase-shift keying (PSK) formats or other advanced modulation formats involving both amplitude and phase modulation, start to coexist in optical communication systems with the conventional on-off keying (OOK) modulation format, the availability of a single device, suitable for processing all these different signals, is mandatory. The SOA-MZI fits all these requirements for both OOK and constant-envelope phase-modulated signals, providing a compact and flexible solution. Here we review on the use of the SOA-MZI for carrying out alloptical switching operations, by realizing wavelength conversion and add/drop functionalities, both for OOK and differential binary phase shift keying (DPSK) signals up to 40 Gb/s. Power penalties lower than 2 dB are demonstrated in all cases. © 2013 Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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