Dual-core ytterbium fiber amplifier for high-power 1060 nm swept source multichannel optical coherence tomography imaging

A novel (to our knowledge) dual-core ytterbium (Yb(3+)) doped fiber, as an optically pumped amplifier, boosts the output power from a 1060 nm swept source laser beyond 250 mW, while providing a wavelength tuning range of 93 nm, for optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging. The design of the dual-core Yb-doped fiber amplifier and its multiple wavelength optical pumping scheme to optimize output bandwidth are discussed. Use of the dual-core fiber amplifier showed no appreciable degradation to the coherence length of the seed laser. The signal intensity improvement of this amplifier is demonstrated on a multichannel in vivo OCT imaging system at 1060 nm.     

Solitons in geometric potentials

We show that the geometrically induced potential existing in undulated slab waveguides dramatically affects the properties of solitons. In particular, whereas solitons residing in the potential maxima do not feature power thresholds and are stable, their counterparts residing in the potential minima are unstable and may exhibit a power threshold for their existence. Additionally, the geometric potential is shown to support stable multipole solitons that cannot be supported by straight waveguides. Finally, the geometric potential results in the appearance of the effective barriers that prevent transverse soliton motion.     

Optimization of spin-valve parameters for magnetic bead trapping and manipulation

Magneto-optic Kerr effect (MOKE) and magnetoresistance (MR) measurements were used to measure the switching characteristics of spin-valve (SV) arrays currently being developed to trap and release superparamagnetic beads within a fluid medium. The effect of SV size on switching observed by MOKE showed that a 1 μm×8 μm SV element was found to have optimal switching characteristics. MR measurements on a single 1 μm×8 μm SV switched with either an external applied magnetic field or a local magnetic field generated by an integrated write wire (current density ranging from 10⁶ to 10⁷ A/cm²) confirmed the MOKE findings. The 1 μm×8 μm SV low field switching was observed to be +8 and −2 mT with two stable states at zero field; the high field switching was observed to be −18 mT. The low switching fields and the large magnetic moment of the SV trap along with our observation of minimal magnetostatic effects for dense arrays are necessary design characteristics for high-force, “switchable-magnet,” microfluidic bead trap applications.     

Metabolic Profiling of Murine Macrophages Exposed to Silver Nanoparticles at Dose and Time Dependencies

The macrophage time-dependent metabolic profile changing basal metabolism triggered by nanoparticles can be obtained and used to improve wound healing treatments. Herein this study demonstrates that metabolic status responds systematically to cytotoxicity manipulation, providing an interesting way of cellular control. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) based metabolomics and cytotoxic assays are used to study RAW 264.7 cells exposed to AgNPs at different concentrations and incubation times. Cytotoxicity data show a slight decrease in cellular expansion rates accompanied by morphological changes in cells. Metabolomics show that despite the glycolytic activity of treated and non-treated cells remains unchanged; however, only the treated cells present a rich Citrate environment signaling up-regulation of Tricarboxylic-Acid-Cycle (TCA). Cells choose aerobic routes instead of anaerobic ones to produce energy and self-regulate their amino acid metabolism to balance TCA. Choline metabolism is down-regulated once its sub-products, Betaine and Glycine, are reduced, thus compromising Creatine synthesis. Phospholipid metabolism is down-regulated due to the decreasing of Phosphocholine and Sn-Glycerol-3-PC, in agreement with the cytotoxicity results. Pyroglutamate decreases in treated cells, signaling different levels of oxidative stress. These analytical tools can characterize AgNPs-treatments, even distinguishing dose and time dependencies. Therefore, the fine-tuning of exposition parameters can modulate cellular activity to achieve better wound healing.     

Long-wavelength excitations in a Bose gas at zero temperature

The long-wavelength excitations in a simple model of a dilute Bose gas at zero temperature are investigated from a purely microscopic viewpoint. The role of the interaction and the effects of the condensate are emphasized in a dielectric formulation, in which the response functions are expressed in terms of regular functions that do not involve an isolated single-interaction line nor an isolated single-particle line. Local number conservation is incorporated into the formulation by the generalized Ward identities, which are used to express the regular functions involving the density in terms of regular functions involving the longitudinal current. A perturbation expansion is then developed for the regular functions, producing to a given order in the perturbation expansion an elementary excitation spectrum without a gap and simultaneously response functions that obey local number conservation and related sum rules.Explicit results to the first order beyond the Bogoliubov approximation in a simple one-parameter model are obtained for the elementary excitation spectrum ω_k, the dynamic structure function $\text{S}$(k, ω), the associated structure function $\text{S}$_m(k), and the one-particle spectral function $\text{A}$(k, ω), as functions of the wavevector k and frequency ω. These results display the sharing of the gapless spectrum ω_k by the various response functions and are used to confirm that the sum rules of interest are satisfied. It is shown that ω_k and some of the $\text{S}$_m(k) are not analytic functions of k in the long wavelength limit. The dynamic structure function $\text{S}$(k, ω) can be conveniently separated into three parts: a one-phonon term which exhausts the f sum rule, a backflow term, and a background term. The backflow contribution to the static structure function $\text{S}$₀(k) leads to the breakdown of the one-phonon Feynman relation at order k³. Both $\text{S}$(k, ω) and $\text{A}$(k, ω) display broad backgrounds because of two-phonon excitations. Simple arguments are given to indicate that some of the qualitative features found for various physical quantities in the first-order model calculation might also be found in superfluid helium.     

Unexpected formation of dinaphthoaza-17-crown-5 ether containing γ-aminopiperidine subunit

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Synthesis and structure of new chlorine containing calix[4]resorcinols

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Cyclometallated 1,2,3-triazol-5-ylidene iridium(III) complexes: synthesis,structure, and photoluminescence properties

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Structure and quantum chemical study of crystalline platinum(II) acetate

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Quantum chemical calculations of hydration electrostatics and electrochemical oxidation potential of cyclic nitroxide radicals

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