Continuous radial superresolution filters with large focal depth

A new set of continuous superresolution filters is proposed which exhibits a radial superresolution performance with an extended depth of focus in an optical system by properly choosing the design parameters. Numerical simulation results of the performance parameters of the superresolution gain, the radial central core size, the Strehl ratio, the side-lobe factor and the depth of focus with different design parameters for the optimized patterns are displayed. We also give a design example for this kind of filter characterized by a birefringent element inserted between two parallel polarizers. This kind of filter would be useful in fields such as optical data storage systems.

Compression of intense laser pulse through filamentation in an argon-filled cell

We demonstrate a pulse compression technique through filamentation in an argon-filled cell. By using a pair of chirped mirrors for dispersion compensation, we have successfully compressed the 53 fs pulse to 15 fs with good spatial qualities and good pulse stability. The total transmitted efficiency is more than 75%. The influence of the experiment parameters to the compressed pulses is also studied experimentally.

Herpetofaunal Inventories of the National Parks of South Florida and the Caribbean: Volume III. Big Cypress National Preserve

Amphibian declines and extinctions have been documented around the world, often in protected natural areas. Concern for this trend has prompted the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Park Service to document all species of amphibians that occur within U.S. National Parks and to search for any signs that amphibians may be declining. This study, an inventory of amphibian species in Big Cypress National Preserve, was conducted from 2002 to 2003. The goals of the project were to create a georeferenced inventory of amphibian species, use new analytical techniques to estimate proportion of sites occupied by each species, look for any signs of amphibian decline (missing species, disease, die-offs, and so forth.), and to establish a protocol that could be used for future monitoring efforts. Several sampling methods were used to accomplish these goals. Visual encounter surveys and anuran vocalization surveys were conducted in all habitats throughout the park to estimate the proportion of sites or proportion of area occupied (PAO) by each amphibian species in each habitat. Opportunistic collections, as well as limited drift fence data, were used to augment the visual encounter methods for highly aquatic or cryptic species. A total of 545 visits to 104 sites were conducted for standard sampling alone, and 2,358 individual amphibians and 374 reptiles were encountered. Data analysis was conducted in program PRESENCE to provide PAO estimates for each of the anuran species. All of the amphibian species historically found in Big Cypress National Preserve were detected during this project. At least one individual of each of the four salamander species was captured during sampling. Each of the anuran species in the preserve was adequately sampled using standard herpetological sampling methods, and PAO estimates were produced for each species of anuran by habitat. This information serves as an indicator of habitat associations of the species and relative abundance of sites occupied, but it will also be useful as a comparative baseline for future monitoring efforts. In addition to sampling for amphibians, all encounters with reptiles were documented. The sampling methods used for detecting amphibians are also appropriate for many reptile species. These reptile locations are included in this report, but the number of reptile observations was not sufficient to estimate PAO for reptile species. We encountered 35 of the 46 species of reptiles believed to be present in Big Cypress National Preserve during this study, and evidence exists of the presence of four other reptile species in the Preserve. This study found no evidence of amphibian decline in Big Cypress National Preserve. Although no evidence of decline was observed, several threats to amphibians were identified. Introduced species, especially the Cuban treefrog (Osteopilus septentrionalis), are predators and competitors with several native frog species. The recreational use of off-road vehicles has the potential to affect some amphibian populations, and a study on those potential impacts is currently underway. Also, interference by humans with the natural hydrologic cycle of south Florida has the potential to alter the amphibian community. Continued monitoring of the amphibian species in Big Cypress National Preserve is recommended. The methods used in this study were adequate to produce reliable estimates of the proportion of sites occupied by most anuran species, and are a cost-effective means of determining the status of their populations.

用光纤生物传感器检测炭疽杆菌、鼠疫杆菌及葡萄球菌肠毒素B

目的：用新研制的光纤生物传感器FOB-3检测多种病原微生物及细菌毒素.方法：利用双抗体夹心法,优化免疫反应的时间和浓度后,用FOB-3分别检测炭疽芽孢及繁殖体、鼠疫F1抗原和葡萄球菌肠毒素B.为便于结果判定,确定截断（cutoff）值,并以Ssignal与NNnoise差值的形式消除荧光信号中的噪声.结果：使用光纤生物传感器FOB-3,在20 min内可分别检测到50～1000 ng/mL的鼠疫F1抗原、0.1～100μg/mL的葡萄球菌肠毒素B、3×10^1～3×10^6 CFU/mL的炭疽杆菌繁殖体和

Altered expression of Alzheimer's disease-related genes in the cerebellum of autistic patients: a model for disrupted brain connectome and therapy

Autism and Alzheimer's disease (AD) are, respectively, neurodevelopmental and degenerative diseases with an increasing epidemiological burden. The AD-associated amyloid-beta precursor protein-alpha has been shown to be elevated in severe autism, leading to the 'anabolic hypothesis' of its etiology. Here we performed a focused microarray analysis of genes belonging to NOTCH and WNT signaling cascades, as well as genes related to AD and apoptosis pathways in cerebellar samples from autistic individuals, to provide further evidence for pathological relevance of these cascades for autism. By using the limma package from R and false discovery rate, we demonstrated that 31% (116 out of 374) of the genes belonging to these pathways displayed significant changes in expression (corrected P-values <0.05), with mitochondria- related genes being the most downregulated. We also found upregulation of GRIN1, the channel-forming subunit of NMDA glutamate receptors, and MAP3K1, known activator of the JNK and ERK pathways with anti-apoptotic effect. Expression of PSEN2 (presinilin 2) and APBB1 (or F65) were significantly lower when compared with control samples. Based on these results, we propose a model of NMDA glutamate receptor-mediated ERK activation of alpha-secretase activity and mitochondrial adaptation to apoptosis that may explain the early brain overgrowth and disruption of synaptic plasticity and connectome in autism. Finally, systems pharmacology analyses of the model that integrates all these genes together (NOWADA) highlighted magnesium (Mg2+) and rapamycin as most efficient drugs to target this network model in silico. Their potential therapeutic application, in the context of autism, is therefore discussed.

β-Ga2O3：Cr单晶体的浮区法生长及光学特性

利用浮区法生长得到β-Ga2O3：Cr单晶体．在室温下测试了β-Ga2O3：Cr单晶体的吸收光谱和发射光谱．通过吸收光谱计算了晶体场分裂系数Dq和Racah系数，得到10Dq/B=23．14，表明Cr^3＋在β-Ga2O3晶体中处于较弱的晶体场β-Ga2O3：Cr单晶体经高温退火后Cr^3＋的发射明显加强，而绿光的发射减弱．采用420nm波长激发，在691nm可得到强而宽的特征发射，此发射对应于Cr^3＋的^4T2→^4A2跃迁．

Evidence of hook competition in longline surveys

Catch rates from surveys are used as indices of abundance for many fish species. Relative abundance estimates from surveys with longline gear do not usually account for possible effects of gear saturation, which potentially creates competition among fish for baited hooks and misrepresentations of abundance trends. We examined correlations between catch rates of sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) and giant grenadier (Albatrossia pectoralis) and between sablefish and shortraker (Sebastes borealis) and rougheye rockfish (Sebastes aleutianus) from 25 years of longline surveys in Alaska waters for evidence of competition for hooks. Sablefish catch rates were negatively correlated with giant grenadier catch rates in all management areas in Alaskan waters, and sablefish and rockfish were negatively correlated in five of the six areas, indicating that there is likely competition for hooks during longline surveys. Comparative analyses were done for trawl survey catch rates, and no negative correlations were observed, indicating that the negative correlations on the longline surveys are not due to differing habitat preferences or direct competition. Available adjustments for gear saturation may be biased if the probability of capture does not decrease linearly with baited hooks. A better understanding of each fish species’ catch probabilities on longline gear are needed before adjustments for hook competition can be made.

Composite beta-AgVO3@V5+1.6V4+0.4O4.8 hydrogels and xerogels for catalytic applications

Comunicación (Poster) en panel del congreso: Designing New Heterogeneous Catalysts, Faraday Discussion, 4–6 April 2016. London, United Kingdom.

Interdecadal change in growth of sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) in the northeast Pacific Ocean

Errors in growth estimates can affect drastically the spawner-perrecruit threshold used to recommend quotas for commercial fish catches. Growth parameters for sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) in Alaska have not been updated for stock assessment purposes for more than 20 years, although aging of sablefish has continued. In this study, length-stratified data (1981–93 data from the annual longline survey conducted cooperatively by the Fisheries Agency of Japan and the Alaska Fisheries Science Center of the National Marine Fisheries Service) were updated and corrected for discovered sampling bias. In addition, more recent, randomly collected samples (1996–2004 data from the annual longline survey conducted by the Alaska Fisheries Science Center) were analyzed and new length-at-age and weight-at-age parameters were estimated. Results were similar between this analysis with length-at-age data from 1981 to 2004 and analysis with updated longline survey data through 2010; therefore, we used our initial results from analysis done with data through 2004. We found that, because of a stratified sampling scheme, growth estimates of sablefish were overestimated with the older data (1981–93), and growth parameters used in the Alaskan sablefish assessment model were, thus, too large. In addition, a comparison of the bias-corrected 1981–93 data and the 1996–2004 data showed that, in more recent years, sablefish grew larger and growth differed among regions. The updated growth information improves the fit of the data to the sablefish stock assessment model with biologically reasonable results. These findings indicate that when the updated growth data (1996–2004) are used in the existing sablefish assessment model, estimates of fishing mortality increase slightly and estimates of female spawning biomass decrease slightly. This study provides evidence of the importance of periodically revisiting biological parameter estimates, especially as data accumulate, because the addition of more recent data often will be more biologically realistic. In addition, it exemplifies the importance of correcting biases from sampling that may contribute to erroneous parameter estimates.