Anti-dsDNA IgE: a potential non-invasive test for prediction of lupus nephritis relapse.

Objectives: Discontinuation or continuation of maintenance immunosuppressive therapy (MIST) after a severe lupus nephritis (LN) requires measuring the risk of relapse but reliable clinical and biological markers are lacking. The WIN-IgE study assesses the value of serum anti-dsDNA IgE autoantibodies as a biomarker for the prediction of relapse in severe LN.

Methods: WIN-IgE is an ancillary study of the WIN-Lupus study (NCT01284725), a prospective controlled clinical trial which evaluated the discontinuation of MIST after 2-3 years in class III or IV±V LN with active lesions.

Tunable transportable spectroradiometer based on an acousto-optical tunable filter: Development and optical performance.

We describe a high-performance, transportable, versatile spectroradiometer based on an acousto-optical tunable filter (AOTF). The instrument was developed for temperature metrology, namely, to determine the thermodynamic temperature of black bodies above the Ag freezing point (961.78 °C).

A new in situ electrical calibration system for high temperature Calvet calorimeters.

A new in situ high temperature electrical calibration system was developed at Laboratoire National de Metrologie et d'Essais, Laboratoire Commun de Metrologie and integrated into a heat flux Calvet calorimeter in order to perform accurate and reliable measurements of enthalpy of fusion that are directly traceable to the International System of Units (SI). This system has been designed to enable the calibration of the calorimeter by electrical substitution (Joule effect) as well as the measurement of enthalpy of fusion in perfectly identical experimental conditions. The metrological features (repeatability, linearity, etc.

Development of a quasi-adiabatic calorimeter for the determination of the water vapor pressure curve.

Progress in the knowledge of the water saturation curve is required to improve the accuracy of the calibrations in humidity. In order to achieve this objective, the LNE-CETIAT and the LNE-CNAM have jointly built a facility dedicated to the measurement of the saturation vapor pressure and temperature of pure water. The principle is based on a static measurement of the pressure and the temperature of pure water in a closed, temperature-controlled thermostat, conceived like a quasi-adiabatic calorimeter.

Determination of the Boltzmann constant using a quasi-spherical acoustic resonator.

The paper reports a new experiment to determine the value of the Boltzmann constant, k(B)=1.3806477(17)×10(-23) J K(-1), with a relative standard uncertainty of 1.2 parts in 10(6).

Transportable distance measurement system based on superheterodyne interferometry using two phase-locked frequency-doubled Nd:YAG lasers.

We describe a transportable distance measurement system based on synthetic wavelength interferometry. Two frequency-doubled Nd:yttrium aluminum garnet lasers at 532 nm are used to generate a synthetic wavelength of approximately 2.5 cm.

Refractometer for tracking changes in the refractive index of air near 780 nm.

A new system, consisting of a double-channel Fabry-Perot etalon and laser diodes emitting around 780 nm, is described and proposed for use for measuring air-refractive index. The principle of this refractometer is based on frequency measurements between optical laser sources. It permits quasi-instantaneous measurement with a resolution of better than 10(-9) and uncertainty in the 10(-8) range.

Doubled single-frequency Nd:YLF ring laser coupled to a passive nonresonant cavity.

We demonstrate an original solution to obtain a single-frequency ring laser coupled to an external passive nonresonant ring cavity, which plays the role of an optical diode. This system provides more output power than systems with an intracavity unidirectional device. To the best of our knowledge, this work marks the first demonstration of a unidirectional planar ring laser at 1.

Two-wavelength, passive self-injection-controlled operation of diode-pumped cw Yb-doped crystal lasers.

We demonstrate and investigate a peculiar mode of cw Yb3+-doped crystal laser operation when two emissions, at two independently tunable wavelengths, are simultaneously produced. Both emissions are generated from a single pumped volume and take place in either a single beam or spatially separated beams. The laser employs original two-channel cavities that use a passive self-injection-locking (PSIL) control to reduce intracavity loss.

Nd:YLF laser at 1.3 microm for calcium atom optical clocks and precision spectroscopy of hydrogenic systems.

We describe single-frequency operation of a diode-pumped Nd:YLF laser in the range 1311.9-1317.2 nm.