Stable high-power continuous-wave Yb(3+)-doped silica fiber laser utilizing a point-by-point inscribed fiber Bragg grating

We report on a narrowband 5 W cw fiber laser incorporating a point-by-point fiber Bragg grating inscribed into the core of a Yb(3+)-doped double-clad fiber. The laser featured excellent long-term wavelength and power stability (0.3%), as well as a very narrow (15 pm) linewidth, when passive temperature stabilization of the grating was implemented.     

Role of galectin-3 in tumour metastasis

We used metastatic variant of B16 melanoma (B16F1) to study lung colonization galectin-3-deficient (gal-3^−/−) C57BL/6 mice. In vivo study showed that compared with gal-3^+/+ mice, gal-3^−/−mice exhibited resistance to lung colonization of B16F1 melanoma cells (p < 0.03). In vitro assays showed higher number of attached malignant cells in the tissue section derived from gal-3^+/+ mice (p < 0.001) and tumor specific cytotoxicity of lymphoid cells of tumour inoculated gal-3^−/− suggesting that galectin-3 is considered as therapeutic target.     

Imaging resolution signal-to-noise ratio in transverse phase amplification from classical information theory

A quantum phase amplifier operated in the spatial domain can improve the signal-to-noise ratio in imaging beyond the classical limit. The scaling of the signal-to-noise ratio with the gain of the quantum phase amplifier is derived from classical information theory.     

Fuzzy control strategies in human operator and sport modeling

The motivation behind mathematically modeling the human operator is to help explain the response characteristics of the complex dynamical system including the human manual controller. In this paper, we present two different fuzzy logic strategies for human operator and sport modeling: fixed fuzzy-logic inference control and adaptive fuzzy-logic control, including neuro-fuzzy-fractal control. As an application of the presented fuzzy strategies, we present a fuzzy-control based tennis simulator.     

Electrochemical and spectroscopic characterization of organic compound uptake in silica core-shell nanocapsules

Oil-filled silica nanocapsules consisting of a hydrophobic liquid core and a silicate shell have been shown to efficiently extract hydrophobic compounds from aqueous media. With a view toward quantifying the selectivity of these systems, a series of electrochemical and spectroscopic measurements was performed. Uptake and kinetics experiments were carried out through electrochemical measurements by using solutions of lipophilic electroactive molecules of different sizes and with different affinities for silica. Other solutions with fluorescent probes were used for spectrophotometry measurements. In this work we report the environment where the lipophilic compounds studied end up after absorption and the kinetics of their uptake by the oil-filled silica nanocapsules with different shell thicknesses.     

A Fourier series solution for the transverse vibration response of a beam with a viscous boundary

This paper presents the generalized Fourier series solution for the transverse vibration of a beam subjected to a viscous boundary. The model of the system produces a non-self-adjoint eigenvalue-like problem which does not yield orthogonal eigenfunctions; therefore, such functions cannot be used to calculate the coefficients of expansion in the Fourier series. Furthermore, the eigenfunctions and eigenvalues are complex valued. Nevertheless, the eigenfunctions can be utilized if the space of the operator is extended and a suitable inner product is defined. The methodology presented in this paper utilizes Hilbert space methods and is applicable in general to other problems of this type. As an adjunct to the theoretical discussion, the results from numerical simulations are presented.     

Independent environmental monitoring and public dose assessment around the Canadian Nuclear Power Plants

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - Radiological impact to members of the public living around the Canadian Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) was assessed using environmental monitoring...     

The effect of topical anesthesia on vocal fold motion

The objective of this study was to determine if topical anesthesia to the larynx and pharynx affects vocal fold motion during dynamic voice evaluation with transnasal flexible endoscopy. Transnasal dynamic laryngeal examinations of 10 patients with no voice complaints were evaluated by five blinded fellowship-trained laryngologists. Each patient was examined before and after application of topical anesthetic. Reviewers rated briskness of right and left vocal fold movement and longitudinal tension on a visual analogue scale. Statistical comparisons were made between individual subject scores before and after anesthetic application. Inter-rater reliability was also assessed. No statistical difference was observed between subject scores before and after anesthetic application. Average intraclass correlation coefficients were 0.643 and 0.591 for pre- and postanesthesia scores, respectively. Application of topical anesthesia to the larynx and pharynx does not affect vocal fold motion.     

Influence of Reynolds number on characteristics of turbulent wall boundary layers

Hot-wire anemometer measurements, using two types of probes, are reported for wall boundary layer flows with particular attention being given to the near-wall region and to measurements at high Reynolds numbers up to R 15,000. To obtain accurate near-wall measurements, the influence of wall proximity on hot-wire readings was eliminated by using a highly insulating wall material. Measurements were carried out with a single hot-wire boundary layer probe to obtain the longitudinal velocity informatemperature-wake sensor for the cross flow tion and a hot-wire, information.The results provided in the paper include measurements of averaged properties like mean velocity, rms-quantities of velocity fluctuations, probability density distributions etc. Conditional averages are also provided in order to yield information related to coherent flow structures present in boundary layer flows. It is shown that these structure remain present up to the highest Reynolds number investigated in the present study. The conditionally averaged data provide quantitative information on the mechanisms that are involved in the production of turbulence in boundary-layer flows.