Experimental observation of autosoliton propagation in a dispersion-managed system guided by nonlinear optical loop mirrors

Observation of autosoliton propagation in a dispersion-managed optical transmission system controlled by in-line nonlinear fiber loop switches is reported for what is believed to be the first time. The system is based on a strong dispersion map with large amplifier spacing. Operation at transmission rates of 10 and 40 Gbits/s is demonstrated. ©2004 Optical Society of America.

Autosoliton propagation at 80 Gbit/s using concatenated nonlinear loop switches in standard fibre

Experimental observation of autosoliton propagation in a nonlinear switch-guided, dispersion-managed system operating at 80 Gbit/s is reported for the first time. The system is based on a strong dispersion map and supports autosoliton propagation over 3000 km.

Mapping the yeast host cell response to recombinant membrane protein production:relieving the biological bottlenecks

Understanding the structures and functions of membrane proteins is an active area of research within bioscience. Membrane proteins are key players in essential cellular processes such as the uptake of nutrients, the export of waste products, and the way in which cells communicate with their environment. It is therefore not surprising that membrane proteins are targeted by over half of all prescription drugs. Since most membrane proteins are not abundant in their native membranes, it is necessary to produce them in recombinant host cells to enable further structural and functional studies. Unfortunately, achieving the required yields of functional recombinant membrane proteins is still a bottleneck in contemporary bioscience. This has highlighted the need for defined and rational optimization strategies based upon experimental observation rather than relying on trial and error. We have published a transcriptome and subsequent genetic analysis that has identified genes implicated in high-yielding yeast cells. These results have highlighted a role for alterations to a cell's protein synthetic capacity in the production of high yields of recombinant membrane protein: paradoxically, reduced protein synthesis favors higher yields. These results highlight a potential bottleneck at the protein folding or translocation stage of protein production.

Nonlinear spectral shaping and optical rogue events in fiber-based systems

We provide an overview of our recent work on the shaping and stability of optical continua in the long pulse regime. Fibers with normal group-velocity dispersion at all-wavelengths are shown to allow for highly coherent continua that can be nonlinearly shaped using appropriate initial conditions. In contrast, supercontinua generated in the anomalous dispersion regime are shown to exhibit large fluctuations in the temporal and spectral domains that can be controlled using a carefully chosen seed. A particular example of this is the first experimental observation of the Peregrine soliton which constitutes a prototype of optical rogue-waves.

Nonlinear spectral shaping and optical rogue events in fiber-based systems

We provide an overview of our recent work on the shaping and stability of optical continua in the long pulse regime. Fibers with normal group-velocity dispersion at all-wavelengths are shown to allow for highly coherent continua that can be nonlinearly shaped using appropriate initial conditions. In contrast, supercontinua generated in the anomalous dispersion regime are shown to exhibit large fluctuations in the temporal and spectral domains that can be controlled using a carefully chosen seed. A particular example of this is the first experimental observation of the Peregrine soliton which constitutes a prototype of optical rogue-waves. © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Bound state vector solitons with locked and precessing states of polarization

We report experimental observation of new tightly and loosely bound state vector solitons with locked and precessing states of polarization in a carbon nanotube mode locked fiber laser in the anomalous dispersion regime. ©2013 Optical Society of America.

Autosoliton propagation at 80Gbit/s in standard fibre using in-line nonlinear loop switches

Experimental observation of autosoliton propagation in a nonlinear switch-guided, dispersion-managed system operating at 80Gbit/s is reported for the first time. The system is based on a strong dispersion map and supports autosoliton propagation over 3,000km.

Revealing spatio-temporal regimes of generation in Raman fiber lasers

We present here experimental observation of different spatio-temporal generation regimes in quasi-CW Raman fiber laser in the most simple experimental configuration. The generation regimes depend on pump power and range from partial mode-locking to turbulent, and a generation of short-lived pulses. While in temporal domain transitions could be described in quantitative way, in spatio-temporal domain they represent qualitative change in observed dynamics.

Observation of a finger or an object movement primes imitative responses differentially

Behavioural advantages for imitation of human movements over movements instructed by other visual stimuli are attributed to an ‘action observation-execution matching’ (AOEM) mechanism. Here, we demonstrate that priming/exogenous cueing with a videotaped finger movement stimulus (S1) produces specific congruency effects in reaction times (RTs) of imitative responses to a target movement (S2) at defined stimulus onset asynchronies (SOAs). When contrasted with a moving object at an SOA of 533 ms, only a human movement is capable of inducing an effect reminiscent of ‘inhibition of return’ (IOR), i.e. a significant advantage for imitation of a subsequent incongruent as compared to a congruent movement. When responses are primed by a finger movement at SOAs of 533 and 1,200 ms, inhibition of congruent or facilitation of incongruent responses, respectively, is stronger as compared to priming by a moving object. This pattern does not depend on whether S2 presents a finger movement or a moving object, thus effects cannot be attributed to visual similarity between S1 and S2. We propose that, whereas both priming by a finger movement and a moving object induces processes of spatial orienting, solely observation of a human movement activates AOEM. Thus, S1 immediately elicits an imitative response tendency. As an overt imitation of S1 is inadequate in the present setting, the response is inhibited which, in turn, modulates congruency effects.

"You have ruined this entire experiment…shall we stop talking now?" Orientations to the experimental setting as an interactional resource

One limitation widely noted in sociolinguistics is the tension presented by the ‘observer’s paradox’ (Labov, 1972), i.e. the notion that everyday language is ‘susceptible to contamination by observation’ (Stubbs, 1983: 224). The observer’s paradox has been perceived to present significant challenges to traditional sociolinguistic researchers seeking to explore the processes at work during ordinary interaction. More recently, scholars have begun to argue that in fact the presence of a recording device, rather than being a mere constraint on spoken interaction, is in itself an interactional resource explicitly oriented to by participants (Speer & Hutchby 2003; Gordon 2012). Drawing on a collection of transcripts collected in experimental conditions as part of a wider project exploring the relationship between language and identity, this paper seeks to explore how these orientations manifest themselves in the context of Instant Messaging (IM) conversations. We show different orientations to the experimental setting, and different understandings of the role of the researcher – represented in this case by the IM chat archive – as both a topic of discussion and as a participant themselves.