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Long-term kidney transplant (KT) allograft outcomes have not improved as expected despite a better understanding of rejection and improved immunosuppression. Previous work had validated a computed rejection score, the tissue common rejection module (tCRM), measured by amplification-based assessment of 11 genes from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) biopsy specimens, which allows for quantitative, unbiased assessment of immune injury. We applied tCRM in a prospective trial of 124 KT recipients, and contrasted assessment by tCRM and histology reads from 2 independent pathologists on protocol and cause biopsies post-transplant. Four 10-μm shaves from FFPE biopsy specimens were used for RNA extraction and amplification by qPCR of the 11 tCRM genes, from which the tCRM score was calculated. Biopsy diagnoses of either acute rejection (AR) or borderline rejection (BL) were considered to have inflammation present, while stable biopsies had no inflammation. Of the 77 biopsies that were read by both pathologists, a total of 40 mismatches in the diagnosis were present. The median tCRM scores for AR, BL, and stable diagnoses were 4.87, 1.85, and 1.27, respectively, with an overall significant difference among all histologic groups (Kruskal-Wallis, p < 0.0001). There were significant differences in tCRM scores between pathologists both finding inflammation vs. disagreement (p = 0.003), and both finding inflammation vs. both finding no inflammation (p < 0.001), along with overall significance between all scores (Kruskal-Wallis, p < 0.001). A logistic regression model predicting graft inflammation using various clinical predictor variables and tCRM revealed the tCRM score as the only significant predictor of graft inflammation (OR: 1.90, 95% CI: 1.40–2.68, p < 0.0001). Accurate, quantitative, and unbiased assessment of rejection of the clinical sample is critical. Given the discrepant diagnoses between pathologists on the same samples, individuals could utilize the tCRM score as a tiebreaker in unclear situations. We propose that the tCRM quantitative score can provide unbiased quantification of graft inflammation, and its rapid evaluation by PCR on the FFPE shave can become a critical adjunct to help drive clinical decision making and immunosuppression delivery.

The Peruvian Region of Tacna has the highest prevalence of macrosomia (15%), but also the highest arsenic (As) concentration in tap water. The consumption of tap water contaminated with arsenic is associated with low birth weight. To address this discrepancy in this Region, the objective of this study is to evaluate the averages of arsenic concentration in tap water with diferent reproductive outcomes

Variations of the induced retardance in the aperture of liquid-crystal variable retarders LCVR and spatial light modulators LC-SLM are measured. It is found that the induced retardance, in LCVR, shows variations over the aperture which depend on the wavelength of the light used and the voltage applied. Larger retardance variations appear near to the edges of the cell. There are also larger variations in the maximum and minimum unwrapped retardances in the retardance versus voltage curves. These voltage values and the edges positions of the cells should be avoided in applications of these devices. On the other hand, the induced retardance is calculated pixel by pixel in LC-SLM. For the same gray level over the entire LC-SLM screen, there are differences in the induced retardance between pixels located in a central area and pixels located in the edges. For correct calibration of the LC-SLM, the retardance value as a function of gray level was determined, pixel by pixel.

Inorganic arsenic exposure has been linked to the development of several health conditions, including adverse birth outcomes, and around 150 million of people worldwide are exposed to levels above the WHO suggested limit of 10 μg/L. A recent risk assessment in pregnant women of Tacna, of this same population performed by our group, found that 70.25% were exposed to arsenic concentrations in drinking water ≥ 25 μg/L. The present study aimed to evaluate the relationship between prenatal total urinary arsenic (U-tAs) and inorganic arsenic (U-iAs) with adverse birth outcomes. A total of 147 pregnant women from the province of Tacna, Peru, during February–March, 2019, were evaluated for U-tAs and U-iAs exposure during their second trimester of pregnancy, while the birth records of their children were collected from the local hospital. The geometric mean U-tAs was 43.97 ± 25.88 μg/L (P50 22.30, range 5.99–181.94 μg/L) and U-iAs was 5.27 ± 2.91 μg/L. Controlling for maternal age, pre-pregnancy BMI, parity, mother’s education, and newborn sex, no relationship was observed between tertile of U-tAs and the birth outcomes considered, although we found an apparent but statistically non-significant dose–response relationship for small for gestational age 2.38% (95% CI 0.003, 0.16), versus 7.32% (95% CI 0.02, 0.21%), and versus 8.57% (95% CI 0.03, 0.25%). This finding requires further evaluation considering other factors such as metabolic arsenic species, additional maternal covariates, and ethnicity.

PurposeThe aim of this study was to examine the effect of 17β-estradiol on Benzo(e)pyrene [B(e)P]-induced toxicity in ARPE-19 cells.MethodsWe pretreated ARPE-19 cells with 20 nM and 40 nM 17β-estradiol for 6 hours, followed by addition of 300 μM B(e)P for additional 24 hours. Cell viability was measured using Trypan blue dye-exclusion assay. JC-1 assay was performed to measure mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm). For a quantitative estimation of cell death, apoptotic markers such as caspase-3/7, caspase-9, and caspase-12 were measured.ResultsOur results demonstrated that when treated with B(e)P, the viability and ΔΨm of ARPE-19 cells declined by 25% and 63%, respectively (P < 0.05). However, pretreating with 17β-estradiol increased the viability of ARPE-19 cells by 21% (20 nM) and 10% (40 nM) (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the significantly reduced ΔΨm in βE+B(e)P treated cells ARPE-19 cells was restored by pre-treatment with 17β-estradiol- ΔΨm was increased by 177% (20 nM) and 158% (40 nM) (P < 0.05). We further observed a significant up-regulation in the activity of Caspases-3/7, -9, and -12 in B(e)P-treated ARPE-19 cells. However, 17β-estradiol treatment significantly reduced the activity of all apoptotic markers (P < 0.05).ConclusionIn conclusion, our results demonstrate that 17β-estradiol protects ARPE-19 cells against B(e)P-induced toxicity by decreasing apoptosis, preventing cell death, and restoring mitochondrial membrane potential.

Introducción: El embarazo en adolescentes es un fenómeno bio-psico-social de gran importancia, que frecuentemente se le asocia parto pretermino. El objetivo fue determinar los factores de riesgo asociados a parto pretermino en adolescentes. Material y métodos: Estudio retrospectivo, analítico, de casos y controles. Se comparó 101 adolescentes con parto pretermino atendidas en el hospital Hipólito Unanue de Tacna durante los años 2006 a 2010, con 303 adolescentes de parto a término, seleccionadas al azar 3 controles por caso. Se utilizó OR con intervalos de confianza al 95%. La información se obtuvo de la base de datos del Sistema Informático Perinatal (SIP2000). Resultados: La frecuencia de embarazo en adolescentes fue 21,5%, siendo la frecuencia de parto pretermino en adolescentes del 4,2%. La mayoría de gestantes adolescentes fueron convivientes, con grado de instrucción secundaria, sin hábitos nocivos, sin antecedentes patológicos, primigestas, nulíparas, con menos de 7 controles prenatales y con anemia. Los factores que se asociaron significativamente a parto pretermino en adolescentes fueron: controles prenatales

We present in this paper a revision of three different methods we conceived in the framework of liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) display optimization and application.We preliminarily demonstrate an LCoS self-calibration technique, from which we can perform a complete LCoS characterization. In particular, two important characteristics of LCoS displays are retrieved by using self-addressed digital holograms. On the one hand, we determine its phase-voltage curve by using the interference pattern generated by a digital two-sectorial split-lens configuration. On the other hand, the LCoS surface profile is also determined by using a self-addressed dynamicmicro-lens array pattern. Second, the implementation of microparticle manipulation through optical traps created by an LCoS display is demonstrated. Finally, an LCoS display based inline (IL) holographic imaging system is described. By using the LCoS display to implement a double-sideband filter configuration, this inline architecture demonstrates the advantage of obtaining dynamic holographic imaging of microparticles independently of their spatial positions by avoiding the non-desired conjugate images. Fil: Zhang, Haolin. Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona. Facultad de Física; España Fil: Lizana, Ángel. Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona. Facultad de Física; España Fil: Van Eeckhout, Albert. Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona. Facultad de Física; España Fil: Turpin, Alex. Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona. Facultad de Física; España Fil: Ramirez, Claudio. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; México Fil: Iemmi, Claudio César. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Física; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria; Argentina Fil: Campos, Juan. Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona. Facultad de Física; España

We present a comparison of two experimental methods to measure retardance as a function of applied voltage and as a function of position over the aperture of liquid-crystal variable retarders. These measurements are required for many applications, particularly in polarimetry. One method involves the scan of an unexpanded laser beam over the aperture, and the other uses an expanded beam from a LED and a CCD camera to measure the full aperture with a single measurement. The first method is time consuming, is limited in the measured spatial resolution, and requires more expensive equipment to perform the scan, whereas the second method is low cost, with the spatial resolution of the CCD, and fast, but in principle has variations of the incident beam over the aperture that affect the measured retardance values. The results obtained show good agreement for the average values of retardance for the two methods, but the expanded-beam method shows more noise, particularly close to the voltage values at which the variable-retarder retardance versus voltage curves are unwrapped. These retardance variations can be reduced by smoothing the retardance image, which makes the expanded-beam method an attractive method for polarimetry applications since it gives the complete information in the full aperture of the device with the additional advantages of low cost, simplicity, and being less time consuming.

We present a comparison of the first numerical and experimental results for the scattering of light from rough surfaces using a recently developed variable coherence polarimetry source that permits obtaining information on the object without having to scan over incidence or scatter angle. We present, for the first time, we believe, the application of this source to a 1D rough surface and show how to analyze the scattered field to retrieve useful information about the surface. This source uses a liquid-crystal phase modulator to control the polarization as well as the coherence of the beam illuminating the rough surface. Changing the polarization state distribution at the source plane, by controlling the phase distribution on a spatial light modulator, gives a scan of two source spots over the rough surface. The scattered beam is analyzed with a Stokes polarimeter. The Kirchhoff approximation is used to calculate the scattered Stokes vector using the experimental incident Stokes vector and intensity distribution as a source. Good agreement is obtained between the numerical and experimental results, for a simple calculation of the number of intensity maxima obtained as the two first-order source spots are scanned across the sample.

Background Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) have a major impact on public health worldwide. Particularly, hospital surfaces contaminated with bacterial pathogens are often the origin of both sporadic cases and outbreaks of HAIs. It has been demonstrated that copper surfaces reduce the microbial burden of high touch surfaces in the hospital environment. Here we report the antimicrobial characterization of a novel composite coating with embedded copper particles, named Copper Armour™. Methods The Copper Armour™ bactericidal activity was evaluated in in vitro assays against several bacterial pathogens, including Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes. Additionally, its antimicrobial properties were also evaluated in a pilot study over a nine-week period at an adult intensive care unit. For this, four high touch surfaces, including bed rails, overbed table, bedside table and IV Pole, were coated with Cooper Armour™, and its microbial burden was determined over a nine-week period. Results Copper Armour™ coated samples showed an in vitro reduction in bacterial burden of > 99.9% compared to control samples. Moreover, pilot study results indicate that Copper Armour™ significantly reduces the level of microbial contamination on high-touch surfaces in the hospital environment, as compared with standard surfaces. Conclusions Based on its antimicrobial properties, Copper Armour™ is a novel self-sanitizing coating that exhibits bactericidal activity against important human pathogens and significantly reduces the microbial burden of hospital surfaces. This composite could be used as a self-sanitizing coating to complement infection control strategies in healthcare facilities.

We present an experimental method, based on the use of dynamic split-lens configurations, useful for the trapping and spatial control of microparticles through the photophoretic force. In particular, the concept of split-lens configurations is exploited to experimentally create customized and reconfigurable three-dimensional light structures, in which carbon coated glass microspheres, with sizes in a range of 63–75 μm, can be captured. The generation of light spatial structures is performed by properly addressing phase distributions corresponding to different split-lens configurations onto a spatial light modulator (SLM). The use of an SLM allows a dynamic variation of the light structures geometry just by modifying few control parameters of easy physical interpretation. We provide some examples in video format of particle trapping processes. What is more, we also perform further spatial manipulation, by controlling the spatial position of the particles in the axial direction, demonstrating the generation of reconfigurable three-dimensional photophoretic traps for microscopic manipulation of absorbing particles.

In this paper, a compact optical system for generating arbitrary spatial light polarization patterns is demonstrated. The system uses a single high-resolution liquid crystal (LC) on silicon (LCOS) spatial light modulator. A specialized optical mount is designed and fabricated using a 3D printer, in order to build a compact dual optical architecture, where two different phase patterns are encoded on two adjacent halves of the LCOS screen, with a polarization transformation in between. The final polarization state is controlled via two rotations of the Poincaré sphere. In addition, a relative phase term is added, which is calculated based on spherical trigonometry on the Poincaré sphere. Experimental results are presented that show the effectiveness of the system to produce polarization patterns.

Nowadays, digital holographic systems are based on two main optical schemes: off-axis (OA) and inline (IL) holographic systems. In OA set-ups, the reference and the object beams present a relative angle at the registration plane. Thus, a real image of the object can be obtained without the influence of conjugated images by performing a spatial filtering at the reconstructed plane. IL configurations are less sensitive to vibrations and air flows than OA configurations, but the undesired influence of conjugated images in the final hologram is not avoided. To overcome this limitation, a number of IL based methods have been proposed. One interesting approach is the phase-shifting technique, which leads to efficient holograms for IL applications. However, due to the time-sequential nature of this technique, it is somewhat inappropriate for dynamic processes. We present a new method, for IL digital holography, based on a doublesideband (DSB) filter. This method not only removes the conjugate images in the reconstruction process but also reduces the distortions that usually appear when using single-sideband filters. Moreover, it is only time-limited by the acquisition time of the CCD camera. The appropriateness of the technique to be applied in dynamic processes was tested for the tracking of micro-particles. To this aim, particle holographic images were obtained by using the DSB method and afterwards processed with digital picture recognition methods, this allowing us to accurately track the spatial position of the particles. By using this approach, the instantaneous trajectory and velocity described by glass microspheres in movement were experimentally determined

We propose two different in-line optical schemes for the implementation of Biaxial Crystal (BC) based polarimeters. Unlike already existing BC polarimeters prototypes, our proposed architectures only require of a single BC and only one CCD camera, this leading to more feasible and cheaper prototypes. The first scheme is restricted to linear metrology and we provide its interest to be applied under low-intensity conditions. The second architecture is suitable for complete polarimetry, this being achieved by including an optical module to properly split and steer the input light. The BC polarimeters were implemented and tested by measuring different known input polarizations and we obtained excellent results in terms of accuracy and repeatability.

The geographic origins of populations can be identified by their maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroups. This study compared human cybrids (cytoplasmic hybrids), which are cell lines with identical nuclei but mitochondria from different individuals with mtDNA from either the H haplogroup or L haplogroup backgrounds. The most common European haplogroup is H while individuals of maternal African origin are of the L haplogroup. Despite lower mtDNA copy numbers, L cybrids had higher expression levels for nine mtDNA-encoded respiratory complex genes, decreased ATP (adenosine triphosphate) turnover rates and lower levels of reactive oxygen species production, parameters which are consistent with more efficient oxidative phosphorylation. Surprisingly, GeneChip arrays showed that the L and H cybrids had major differences in expression of genes of the canonical complement system (5 genes), dermatan/chondroitin sulfate biosynthesis (5 genes) and CCR3 (chemokine, CC motif, receptor 3) signaling (9 genes). Quantitative nuclear gene expression studies confirmed that L cybrids had (a) lower expression levels of complement pathway and innate immunity genes and (b) increased levels of inflammation-related signaling genes, which are critical in human diseases. Our data support the hypothesis that mtDNA haplogroups representing populations from different geographic origins may play a role in differential susceptibilities to diseases.

Purpose Smoking is a risk factor in the development of a variety of neuroretinal diseases. Therefore, we have investigated the effects of hydroquinone (HQ), a toxicant that is present in high concentrations in cigarette smoke, on a human retinal Muller cell line (MIO-M1). Methods MIO-M1 cells were treated for 24 h with four different concentrations of HQ (200 μM, 100 μM, 50 μM, and 25 μM). Assays were used to measure cell viability, reactive oxygen/nitrogen species (ROS/RNS), mitochondrial dehydrogenase activity (WST assay), caspase-3/7 activity and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels. Western blot analyses with anti-LC3 and anti-GAPDH antibodies were performed on HQ-treated samples. Some cultures were treated with 4 μM rapamycin, to induce autophagy, with and without the autophagy inhibitor 3-methyl-adenine (3MA), and levels of ROS/RNS and LDH were measured. Results Our findings show that HQ reduced cell viability at four different concentrations tested (200, 100, 50 and 25 μM); decreased mitochondrial function at concentrations of 200 and 100 μM; increased ROS/RNS activity at all the concentrations tested and increased LDH levels at concentrations of 200, 100 and 50 μM. Caspase-3/7 activities were not modified by HQ. However, treatment of these cells with this agent resulted in the appearance of the autophagy associated LC3-II band. Pre-treatment with 3MA reduced the ROS/RNS and LDH levels of the HQ-treated and rapamycin-treated cells. Conclusion Our study suggests that HQ damages the MIO-M1 cells through oxidative, mitochondrial and autophagic pathways and not caspase-related apoptosis.

We present the continuous scan operation of the ALBA-NOM as a working mode that allows obtaining low noise in short time, as well as high accuracy measurements. In the traditional step-scan operation, the position of the probe beam is kept fixed while many data points of autocollimator are averaged for noise reduction. This operation mode is very safe, as one has a perfect correspondence between mirror position and measured angle, but it is time inefficient, as it disregards all the data values acquired during motion, and basically averages data values taken under identical conditions. On the other hand, continuous scan is less safe in terms of correspondence between mirror position and slope, especially for NOM systems for which the autocollimator does not accept an electronic trigger. Nevertheless, it is possible to perform independent acquisitions of the autocollimator and of the linear stage data during a scan, and synchronize signals a posteriori. This solves the main problem of continuous scan with a NOM. Continuous scan operation for performing measurements is very efficient for noise reduction per unit time, as it allows integrating every single data value taken by the autocollimator. In addition, it opens the possibility of introducing pitch variations of the mirror between scans. This allows obtaining many independent datasets that can be combined using error suppression techniques to reduce not just noise but systematic errors too. In this paper we report the methods and the main results.

Several methods to control the polarization state and the Degree of Polarization of a beam are proposed. Also a method to generate a beam with an arbitrary polarization distribution by using a parallel aligned Liquid Crystal display is shown.

We present two optical arrangements for the implementation of polarimeters based on the conical refraction phenomenon, occurring on biaxial crystals (BC). The proposed set-ups keep all the benefits related to BC based polarimeters, but decrease costs and complexity when compared with existing alternatives. Whereas one of the proposals allows us to perform linear polarization metrology, the second proposal is suitable to perform complete polarimetry. The two proposed schemes were optimized, experimentally implemented, and tested by measuring different known input polarizations. The obtained results provide their suitability to be applied for polarization metrology.

Digital holography (DH) methods are of interest in a large number of applications. Recently, the double sideband (DSB) technique was proposed, which is a DH based method that, by using double filtering, provides reconstructed images without distortions and is free of twin images by using an in-line configuration. In this work, we implement a method for the investigation of the mobility of particles based on the DSB technique. Particle holographic images obtained using the DSB method are processed with digital picture recognition methods, allowing us to accurately track the spatial position of particles. The dynamic nature of the method is achieved experimentally by using a spatial light modulator. The suitability of the proposed tracking method is validated by determining the trajectory and velocity described by glass microspheres in movement. Fil: Ramirez, Claudio. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; España Fil: Lizana, Ángel. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; España Fil: Iemmi, Claudio César. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Física; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Campos, Juan. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; España

We present an intuitive and versatile method that can dynamically generate 2D and 3D tailored light patterns. The light structures are generated by dynamically implementing discrete and continuous split lens configurations onto a spatial light modulator. These configurations can be dynamically modified by tuning a reduced number of control parameters with simple physical interpretation. We demonstrate the versatility of the method by experimentally implementing a wide number of structured beams, including optical lattices, a light cone, and vortex beams carrying orbital angular momentum. Compared with other optical illuminators, the advantages of our method are its simple interpretation and control for creating the light structures, and that it is based on a robust, dynamic and easy-to-build optical set-up. The proposed method may be useful in a large number of applications, such as optical trapping, super-resolution imaging or illuminating arrays of photonic switching devices.

The degree of asphericity is estimated by determining the average radius of curvature in different sections, at various points on the surface of a sphere, and the deviation from it. We employ the vectorial shearing interferometer (VSI) as the instrument to determine the radius of curvature from two subapertures of the transparent glass sphere. We incorporate the sphere as a thick lens into the interferometric setup, illuminating it with an expanded beam. The spherical aberration, introduced by the sphere in the wave front, depends on the local sphere radius, on the refraction index of the glass, and on the cone angle of the source. The wave front aberrated by the sphere impinges on the VSI. Here, the wave front is divided in two in amplitude, it is sheared vectorially, and it is superimposed with itself. The fringe pattern is formed in the intersection of the wave fronts. The shape of the resulting fringe pattern is directly related to spherical aberration. We estimate qualitatively the degree of asphericity, comparing the phase gradients in different sections of the sphere. Here, we report on the experimental setup to test the asphericity, the results with different vectorial shearing (magnitude and direction). Finally, we perform a comparison with the theoretical predictions.

We describe a wave-front displacement system using a novel configuration of a pair of wedge prisms. The wave-front propagation, through the displacement system, is analyzed using the exact ray trace. The main advantage, of this configuration, is that the shearing (direction and magnitude) is constant from the displacement system to the image plane. The direction of the shearing depends on the relative orientation of the prisms. The magnitude of the shearing is proportional to the distance between prisms. The proportionality constant depends on the wedge angle and the material of fabrication of the prisms, and it gives the sensitivity to the displacement of the system. The deviation of the shearing due to the difference between the wedge angles is larger than that the produced by the oblique incidence of the wave-front. The experimental results confirm the theoretical data.

Due to the increasing interest of polarimetric information in numerous applications, different Stokes polarimeter designs are provided in the literature for the measure of light beam polarization. Recently, the concept of polarimeters based on the conical refraction (CR) phenomenon, occurring in biaxial crystals, was proposed. CR polarimeters are snapshot polarimeters that allow controlling the volume of data redundancy without an increase in the acquisition time. We present the implementation, calibration, and analysis of an incomplete CR-polarimeter optimized for the measure of linear polarizations. A simpler and cheaper experimental configuration is achieved, if compared with other polarimeters proposed in the literature. The suitability of the polarimeter is experimentally demonstrated and some of its benefits, such as its performance in low-intensity conditions, are discussed.

On the 20th of December 2013, The United Nations (UN) General Assembly 68th Session proclaimed 2015 as the International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies (IYL 2015). The proclamation of an International Year focusing on the light science and applications recognizes the importance of light in the society, which plays a vital role in our daily lives, being visible in a widespread number of different areas, as for instance, in technology, education, energy, art, agriculture, health, among many others. In this work, the members of the Image Processing Laboratory from the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (UAB), analyze the concept of readapting some experiments in optics -usually conducted in different courses at the UAB physics degree- into the artistic context of the MACBA (Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona). This project, called SummerLight, takes place within the framework of the IYL, as part of the activities devised to promote the visibility of light. The readapted experiments are expected to teach and improve the knowledge of high school students with respect to different important physical phenomena related to the wave nature of light as polarization, interferences and diffraction. This study analyzes the suitability of the proposed experiments in terms of student optical skills improvement. In addition, its contextualization into an artistic scenario is also discussed.

This Letter proposes a new optical architecture based on a double-sideband filter, simultaneously applied at the Fourier plane, for inline digital holography. The proposed architecture not only allows removal of the conjugate images in the reconstruction process but also reduces the distortions that usually appear when using a single-sideband filter. We first introduce the mathematical model that explains the method and then describe the optical setup used for the implementation. The optical system includes a parallel aligned liquid crystal display placed at the Fourier plane that simultaneously filters positive and negative frequencies, when properly combined with linear polarizers. This feature makes the device useful to register dynamic processes. Finally, we tested the setup by registering a holographic movie of microscopic moving objects placed at different planes. Fil: Ramirez, Claudio. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; España Fil: Lizana, Ángel. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; España Fil: Iemmi, Claudio César. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Física; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Campos, Juan. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; España

An optical setup able to generate arbitrary states of polarization (SOPs) with customized degree of polarization is presented in this Letter. Compared with the few alternatives existing in literature, it presents an easy-to-build optical setup and leads to a superior performance. In fact, experimental results are presented, providing an accurate control for the generation of SOPs (maximum error of 1.7% and 3.3% for ellipticity and azimuth, respectively) as well as for the associated degree of polarization (full experimental variation from 1 up to 0.003, with a 1.7% maximum error). The system proposed may be useful for different applications, for example, for polarimeters testing, speckle metrology, and biological applications.

Liquid Crystals on Silicon (LCOS) displays are a type of LCDs that work in reflection. Such devices, due to the double pass that the light beam performs through the LC cells, lead to larger phase modulation than transmissive LCDs with the same thickness. By taking advantage of this modulation capability exhibited by LCOS displays, we propose a new experimental set-up which is able to provide customized state of polarization spatial distributions just by means of a single LCOS display. To this aim, a double reflection on different halves of the display is properly performed. This fact is achieved by including a compact optical system that steers the light and performs a proper polarization plane rotation. The set-up has been experimentally implemented and some experimental concerns are discussed. The suitability of the system is provided by generating different experimental spatial distributions of polarization. In this regard, well-known polarization distributions, as axial, azimuthal or spiral linear polarization patterns are here provided. Based on the excellent results obtained, the suitability of the system to generate different spatially variant distributions of polarization is validated.

A method to obtain a digital holographic movie by means of a point diffraction interferometer isdescribed. By using a parallel aligned liquid crystal wave plate of size 3 × 3 cm2, a phase shifting interferometrictechnique is implemented. The optical setup is able to operate at 10 frames∕s. Each frame can be digitally refocusedto reconstruct different planes of the three-dimensional (3-D) object. By changing the frame, the object canbe refocused in a different time. As an example, we show a movie which contains two objects that are separatedby 160 mm. The movie shows how, for a given time (a fixed hologram frame), we can focus at different planes(separated 0.1 mm) of the 3-D object, and by changing the frame the movement of the object can be observed. Fil: Iemmi, Claudio César. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Física; Argentina Fil: Ramírez, Claudio N.. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; España Fil: Campos, Juan. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; España

Human Molecular Genetics, 2014, Vol. 23, No. 13 doi:10.1093/hmg/ddu065 Advance Access published on February 28, 2014 Inherited mitochondrial DNA variants can affect complement, inflammation and apoptosis pathways: insights into mitochondrial –nuclear interactions M. Cristina Kenney 1,2, ∗ , Marilyn Chwa 1 , Shari R. Atilano 1 , Payam Falatoonzadeh 1 , Claudio Ramirez 1 , Deepika Malik 1 , Mohamed Tarek 1 , Javier Ca´ceres-del-Carpio 1 , Anthony B. Nesburn 1,4 , David S. Boyer 5 , Baruch D. Kuppermann 1 , Marquis Vawter 3 , S. Michal Jazwinski 6 , Michael Miceli 6 , Douglas C. Wallace 7 and Nitin Udar 1 Gavin Herbert Eye Institute, 2 Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, 3 Functional Genomics Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA, 4 Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA, 5 Retina-Vitreous Associates Medical Group, Beverly Hills, CA, USA, 6 Tulane Center for Aging, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA and 7 Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Center for Mitochondrial and Epigenomic Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA Received December 17, 2013; Revised February 3, 2014; Accepted February 10, 2014 Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of vision loss in developed countries. While linked to genetic polymorphisms in the complement pathway, there are many individuals with high risk alleles that do not develop AMD, suggesting that other ‘modifiers’ may be involved. Mitochondrial (mt) haplogroups, defined by accu- mulations of specific mtDNA single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) which represent population origins, may be one such modifier. J haplogroup has been associated with high risk for AMD while the H haplogroup is protective. It has been difficult to assign biological consequences for haplogroups so we created human ARPE-19 cybrids (cyto- plasmic hybrids), which have identical nuclei but mitochondria of either J or H haplogroups, to investigate their effects upon bioenergetics and molecular pathways. J cybrids have altered bioenergetic profiles compared with H cybrids. Q-PCR analyses show significantly lower expression levels for seven respiratory complex genes encoded by mtDNA. J and H cybrids have significantly altered expression of eight nuclear genes of the alternative complement, inflammation and apoptosis pathways. Sequencing of the entire mtDNA was carried out for all the cybrids to identify haplogroup and non-haplogroup defining SNPs. mtDNA can mediate cellular bioenergetics and expression levels of nuclear genes related to complement, inflammation and apoptosis. Sequencing data sug- gest that observed effects are not due to rare mtDNA variants but rather the combination of SNPs representing the J versus H haplogroups. These findings represent a paradigm shift in our concepts of mt–nuclear interactions. INTRODUCTION Mitochondria (mt) are unique organelles that have their own DNA. Human mtDNA is maternally inherited and forms a circle of double-stranded DNA with 16 569 nucleotide pairs. The non-coding mt-Dloop (also called the control region) con- tains 1121 nucleotides important for replication and transcrip- tion. The coding region of mtDNA encodes for 37 genes, including 13 protein subunits essential for oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), 2 ribosomal RNAs and 22 transfer RNAs (1 – 3). The mtDNA can be categorized into haplogroups that are defined by a group of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) variants that have accumulated over tens of thousands of years and correspond to various geographic populations. While some studies have shown that certain mtDNA hap- logroups can be either protective or increase risk for human dis- eases (4–10), others report no haplogroup association with diseases (11– 13). However, many of these studies identified To whom correspondence should be addressed at: Gavin Herbert Eye Institute, Discovery Center for Eye Research, University of California Irvine, Hewitt Hall, Room 2028, 843 Health Science Road, Irvine, CA 92697, USA. Tel: +1 9498247603; Fax: +1 9498249626; Email: mkenney@uci.edu # The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

The technology of liquid crystal panels (LCP) is very mature and can be applied in many different areas in which the modulation of an input light beam is needed. LCP can be used to modulate amplitude, phase or polarization state of the input beam, being the phase modulation the most important. For this reason parallel aligned LCP are the most recommended for most applications. In this paper we review a method for the characterization of these devices, especially when temporal fluctuations are present. Next we revise several applications in different fields: a) A point diffraction interferometer with phase shifting capabilities is demonstrated and applied to the recording of digital holograms that can focus, digitally, the different planes of a 3D object; b) Different techniques to obtain superresolution imaging beyond the diffraction limit of the aperture, or the geometrical limitation imposed by the pixilation of the CCD device are shown, and c) the construction of Stokes and Mueller polarimeters with different types of LCP are also shown.

A polarimetry based method able to characterize optical properties of linear Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs), even in presence of time-fluctuations of the phase, is proposed in this work. In particular, mean linear retardance, Liquid Crystal (LC) fast axis orientation and phase fluctuation amplitude of LCDs can be obtained with the proposed alternative technique. This technique enables to achieve these important features of LCDs with a set-up significantly less complicated to build up and with faster measurements than previously proposed techniques, which are based on diffraction or interferometry experiments. The validity of the technique is tested by measuring two different LCDs: one monopixel PA-LC panel working in transmission and a reflective PA-LCoS display. The technique provides similar results than those obtained by using previously proposed methods, confirming the validity of our alternative technique.

Mitochondrial DNA Variants Mediate Energy Production and Expression Levels for CFH, C3 and EFEMP1 Genes: Implications for Age-Related Macular Degeneration M. Cristina Kenney 1 *, Marilyn Chwa 1 , Shari R. Atilano 1 , Janelle M. Pavlis 1 , Payam Falatoonzadeh 1 , Claudio Ramirez 1 , Deepika Malik 1 , Tiffany Hsu 1 , Grace Woo 1 , Kyaw Soe 1 , Anthony B. Nesburn 1,2 , David S. Boyer 3 , Baruch D. Kuppermann 1 , S. Michal Jazwinski 4 , Michael V. Miceli 4 , Douglas C. Wallace 5 , Nitin Udar 1 1 Gavin Herbert Eye Institute, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, United States of America, 2 Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, United States of America, 3 Retina-Vitreous Associates Medical Group, Beverly Hills, California, United States of America, 4 Tulane Center for Aging and Department of Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America, 5 Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America Abstract Background: Mitochondrial dysfunction is associated with the development and progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Recent studies using populations from the United States and Australia have demonstrated that AMD is associated with mitochondrial (mt) DNA haplogroups (as defined by combinations of mtDNA polymorphisms) that represent Northern European Caucasians. The aim of this study was to use the cytoplasmic hybrid (cybrid) model to investigate the molecular and biological functional consequences that occur when comparing the mtDNA H haplogroup (protective for AMD) versus J haplogroup (high risk for AMD). Methodology/Principal Findings: Cybrids were created by introducing mitochondria from individuals with either H or J haplogroups into a human retinal epithelial cell line (ARPE-19) that was devoid of mitochondrial DNA (Rho0). In cybrid lines, all of the cells carry the same nuclear genes but vary in mtDNA content. The J cybrids had significantly lower levels of ATP and reactive oxygen/nitrogen species production, but increased lactate levels and rates of growth. Q-PCR analyses showed J cybrids had decreased expressions for CFH, C3, and EFEMP1 genes, high risk genes for AMD, and higher expression for MYO7A, a gene associated with retinal degeneration in Usher type IB syndrome. The H and J cybrids also have comparatively altered expression of nuclear genes involved in pathways for cell signaling, inflammation, and metabolism. Conclusion/Significance: Our findings demonstrate that mtDNA haplogroup variants mediate not only energy production and cell growth, but also cell signaling for major molecular pathways. These data support the hypothesis that mtDNA variants play important roles in numerous cellular functions and disease processes, including AMD. Citation: Kenney MC, Chwa M, Atilano SR, Pavlis JM, Falatoonzadeh P, et al. (2013) Mitochondrial DNA Variants Mediate Energy Production and Expression Levels for CFH, C3 and EFEMP1 Genes: Implications for Age-Related Macular Degeneration. PLoS ONE 8(1): e54339. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0054339 Editor: Walter Lukiw, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, United States of America Received October 1, 2012; Accepted December 10, 2012; Published January 24, 2013 Copyright: s 2013 Kenney et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Funding: Funding provided by The Discovery Eye Foundation www.discoveryeye.org, Lincy Foundation lincyinstitute.unlv.edu/lincy.html, Beckman Macular Research Initiative www.beckmanmacular.org, The Henry Guenther Foundation, Polly and Michael Smith Foundation, Research to Prevent Blindness Foundation www.rpbusa.org, and the National Institute on Aging (AG006168). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. * E-mail: mkenney@uci.edu specific SNP variants that have accumulated over tens of thousands of years and correspond to different geographic populations of the world. The H haplogroup is the most common European haplogroup, while the J haplogroup originates from the Northern European region and is defined by SNP variants that are associated with heat production as an adaptation to colder climates [4]. The mtDNA plays an important role in aging and diseases [4– 6]. Specific haplogroups are associated with a variety of eye diseases including age-related macular degeneration (AMD) [7– 10], diabetic retinopathy [11], pseudoexfoliation glaucoma [12,13], primary open-angle glaucoma [14], keratoconus [15], multiple sclerosis-related optic neuritis [16,17], and Leber Introduction Mitochondria provide critical cellular energy using the tricar- boxylic acid (TCA) cycle, oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), and beta-oxidation of fatty acids for metabolism, cell division, production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and apoptosis. Human mitochondrial (mt) DNA forms a circle of double stranded DNA with 16,569 nucleotide pairs. The non-coding mtDNA Dloop contains 1121 nucleotides and is important for replication and transcription. The coding region of mtDNA encodes for 37 genes including 13 protein subunits essential for OXPHOS, 2 ribosomal RNAs, and 22 transfer RNAs [1–3]. The mtDNA can be categorized into haplogroups that are defined by a set of PLOS ONE | www.plosone.org January 2013 | Volume 8 | Issue 1 | e54339

To evaluate the effects of Triesence® (TRI), a new preservative-free triamcinolone approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for intraocular use, on human retina pigment epithelial (ARPE-19) and rat neurosensory (R28) cells in culture.ARPE-19 and R28 cell cultures were treated 24 h with 1,000, 500, 200, or 100 μg/mL of crystalline (cTRI) or 1,000, 500, or 200 μg/mL of solubilized (sTRI). TRI was solubilized by centrifuging the drug, discarding the supernatant containing the vehicle and then resuspending the drug pellet in an equivalent amount of Dimethyl sulfoxide to achieve the same concentration as the commercial preparation. Percentage of cell viability (CV) was evaluated by a trypan blue dye-exclusion assay. The mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) was analyzed with the JC-1 assay. The caspase-3/7 activity was measured by a fluorochrome assay.In the ARPE-19 cultures, the cTRI caused a decrease in CV at 1,000 μg/mL (13.03±6.51; P0.001), 500 μg/mL (28.87±9.3; P0.001), 200 μg/mL (54.93±5.61; P0.001), and 100 μg/mL (82.53±0.65; P0.005) compared with the untreated controls (96.98±0.16). In R28 cultures, the cTRI treatment also reduced CV values significantly (P0.001) for the 1,000 μg/mL (22.73±2.44), 500 μg/mL (34.63±1.91), 200 μg/mL (58.70±1.39), and 100 μg/m (75.33±2.47) compared with the untreated controls (86.08±3.54). Once the TRI was solubilized (sTRI), the CV and ΔΨm remained similar to the untreated controls for both ARPE-19 and R28 cells. The sTRI treatment with 1,000, 500, and 200 μg/mL increased in caspase-3/7 activity in ARPE-19 cells (P0.01) and in R28 cells (P0.05) compared with dimethyl sulfoxide equivalent controls.The crystalline form of TRI (cTRI) can cause a significant decrease in CV to cultured retinal cells. Once the TRI is solubilized (sTRI), at the same concentrations, the cells remain viable with no decrease in CV or ΔΨm. The sTRI can, however, increase caspase-3/7 activity, thus suggesting some degree of apoptosis.

We examine the viability of implementing the Vectorial Shearing Interferometer (VSI) in order to determine the sphericity of a glass standard patron. We use the patron sphere as an optical component to collimate the expanded wave front of a laser. The collimated wave front impinges on the VSI. The resulting fringe pattern carries the phase gradient information of the original wave front, in the sheared direction. We estimate qualitatively the asphericity of the element under test, comparing the phase gradients in different sections of the sphere. When the gradients of two or more directions are identical, we consider that the standard patron has uniform sphericity. Here, we report on the experimental setup to test the asphericity, the experimental results, and perform comparison with theoretical calculations.

The shearing interferometry is an alternative technique for assessment and measurement of wave-front aberrations. The vectorial shearing interferometer uses a displacement system to shear a wave front in vectorial form. We describe the wave-front displacement system incorporating a novel configuration of a pair of wedge prisms. Its main advantage is that the shearing is constant from the displacement system to image plane. The shear direction depends of the relative orientation of the prisms. The magnitude of the shearing is proportional to the distance between prisms. The proportionality constant depends of the wedge angle and the material of the prisms. This constant gives the sensibility to the displacement of the system. We describe and analyze the wave-front propagation through the displacement system using the exact ray trace. The deviation of the shearing by the difference in the wedge angles is larger than the produced by the oblique incidence of the wave front. Finally, we compare experimental results with exact ray trace simulations. We observe that the theoretical data corresponds to the experimental results. There is a maximum rms error of ≈ 10 μm.

El presente estudio aborda la problematica de la estimacion de precipitaciones areales medias en tres sectores longitudinales de la VII Region de Chile (Cordillera de los Andes, Valle Central y Cordillera de la Costa). Las estimaciones se efectuaron a traves de los siguientes metodos; Media Aritmetica (MA), Poligonos de Thiessen (Th), Isoyetas (Iso), Thiessen Modificado (ThM) e Inverso de la Distancia al Cuadrado (IDC), los que fueron aplicados en dos series extremas de datos pluviales, anos secos y humedos. El analisis y comparacion de los metodos aconseja la aplicacion de cualquiera de ellos para el Valle Central, considerando de antemano la simplicidad de aplicacion que manifiesta la Media Aritmetica (MA). En la Cordillera de la Costa la situacion es similar a la del Valle Central, a excepcion de Thiessen Modificado (ThM). Para el caso de la Cordillera de los Andes, el unico de los metodos estimadores que no se aconseja emplear es el Inverso de la Distancia al Cuadrado (IDC).

We use the modulation transfer function (MTF) to evaluate the performance of several multi-aperture interferometric configurations for the detection of a faint planet in the vicinity of its bright star. We design non-redundant interferometric layouts that provide satisfactory coverage of the spatial frequencies of interest. We propose a design incorporating a rotating, rotationally shearing interferometer in a gravity-free environment. The side peak of its MTF may be centered on the spatial frequency associated with likely planet coordinates, resulting in the planet signal enhancement and isolation.