1.5-mum emissions from laser-diode-pumped Nd-doped microchip solid-state lasers

1.5-mum emissions from Nd:YAG, Nd:YVO(4), and LiNdP(4) O>(12) microchip lasers pumped by laser diodes have been observed. These coherent emissions are attributed to the effect of high-energy modified lattice vibration owing to the existence of Nd ions as well as to stimulated intracavity Raman scattering enhanced by the microchip configuration. A four-wave mixing process involving two lasing fields and a Stokes field was identified as the generator of new adjacent 1.5-mu;m emission.     

Imaging cytoplasmic cAMP in mouse brainstem neurons

Background  

cAMP is an ubiquitous second messenger mediating various neuronal functions, often as a consequence of increased intracellular Ca²⁺ levels. While imaging of calcium is commonly used in neuroscience applications, probing for cAMP levels has not yet been performed in living vertebrate neuronal tissue before.     

Instability in a laser-diode-pumped microchip Nd:YAG laser in a n-ary product scheme

Dynamical instability, chaotic pulsations, and generalized bistability have been observed in a laser-diode-pumped microchip Nd:YAG laser operating in a double transition scheme in which lasing occurs on two transitions with overlapping gain profiles, F(3/2)(4)(2)? I(11/2)(4)(3) and F(3/2)(4)(1)? I(11/2)(4)(2), and simultaneously involves excited Nd atoms from different sublevels of the upper manifold. The modeling of the experimental results requires rate equations that include cross-gain coupling among oscillating modes that belong to different transitions whose population inversion densities are determined by the Boltzmann distribution.     

Stable isotopic studies of earthworm feeding ecology in tropical ecosystems of Puerto Rico

Feeding strategies of earthworms and their influence on soil processes are often inferred from morphological, behavioral and physiological traits. We used (13)C and (15)N natural abundance in earthworms, soils and plants to explore patterns of resource utilization by different species of earthworms in three tropical ecosystems in Puerto Rico. In a high altitude dwarf forest, native earthworms Trigaster longissimus and Estherella sp. showed less (15)N enrichment ((15)N = 3-6 per thousand) than exotic Pontoscolex corethrurus ((15)N =7-9 per thousand) indicating different food sources or stronger isotopic discrimination by the latter. Conversely, in a lower altitude tabonuco forest, Estherella sp. and P. corethrurus overlapped completely in (15)N enrichment ((15)N = 6-9 per thousand), suggesting the potential for interspecific competition for N resources. A tabonuco forest converted to pasture contained only P. corethrurus which were less enriched in (15)N than those in the forest sites, but more highly enriched in (13)C suggesting assimilation of C from the predominant C(4) grass. These results support the utility of stable isotopes to delineate resource partitioning and potential competitive interactions among earthworm species. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.