Compensation for depolarisation by a fibre coil in the presence of self-phase modulation

We report on the dependence of the degree of polarisation of an 80 fs pulsed laser beam propagating through a length of a single-mode birefringent fibre on the illumination power. Due to the birefringence and the nonlinear effect of self-phase modulation, the measured depolarisation dependence is oscillatory. It is, however, demonstrated that the oscillatory depolarisation can be compensated for by introducing a loop into the fibre geometry, which maintains the degree of polarisation of the pulsed beam as high as 90%.     

Carrier escape dynamics in a single quantum well waveguide modulator

Picosecond excite-probe studies are performed on a single quantum well waveguide modulator giving a direct measure of the escape of photogenerated carriers from a quantum well. Both the effects of exciton saturation and external field screening are observed in the transient transmission change. The results are consistent with the escape of carriers by thermionic emission.     

Effect of Acute Exposure to Hydrogen Peroxide on the Production of Phytoplankton and Bacterioplankton in a Mesohumic Lake

Abstract— Active oxygen species such as hydrogen peroxide are produced as a result of UV radiation interaction with natural organic matter and can build up to high concentrations in many aquatic environments. Although the resulting oxidizing potential may affect biological materials and processes, the ecological effects have not yet been studied in any detail. We examined the influence of hydrogen peroxide exposure on phytoplankton and bacterioplankton production in Lac Cromwell, a small humic lake in the Laurentian Hills (Quebec, Canada). A range of hydrogen peroxide concentrations were added to natural samples that were incubated in situ; results indicate that even small amounts of added hydrogen peroxide (50 n M inhibited bacterial production in this lake. A 100 n M addition inhibited bacteria by as much as 40%. On the other hand, low concentrations of added hydrogen peroxide usually stimulated photosynthesis. Catalase addition to eliminate hydrogen peroxide from water usually stimulated bacterial production but had no effect on algal carbon fixation. If these results represent true changes in growth rate, they indicate very different sensitivities of phytoplankton and bacteria to oxidative stress.     

Leveraging the Knorr Pyrazole Synthesis for the Facile Generation of Thioester Surrogates for use in Native Chemical Ligation

Facile synthesis of C‐terminal thioesters is integral to native chemical ligation (NCL) strategies for chemical protein synthesis. We introduce a new method of mild peptide activation, which leverages solid‐phase peptide synthesis (SPPS) on an established resin linker and classical heterocyclic chemistry to convert C‐terminal peptide hydrazides into their corresponding thioesters via an acyl pyrazole intermediate. Peptide hydrazides, synthesized on established trityl chloride resins, can be activated in solution with stoichiometric acetyl acetone (acac), readily proceed to the peptide acyl pyrazoles. Acyl pyrazoles are mild acylating agents and are efficiently exchanged with an aryl thiol, which can then be directly utilized in NCL. The mild, chemoselective, and stoichiometric activating conditions allow this method to be utilized through multiple sequential ligations without intermediate purification steps.