Nanosecond Pulses Generation with Samarium Oxide Film Saturable Absorber

Nanosecond pulse generation is demonstrated in a mode-locked erbium-doped fiber laser(EDFL) utilizing a samarium oxide(Sm_2O_3) film. The Sm_2O_3 film exhibits a modulation depth of 33%, which is suitable for modelocking operation. The passively pulsed EDFL operates stably at 1569.8 nm within a pumping power from 109 to 146 m W. The train of generated output pulses has a pulse width of 356 nm repeated at a fundamental frequency of 0.97 MHz. The average output power of 3.91 m W is obtained at a pump power of 146 m W, corresponding to 4.0 nJ pulse energy. The experimental result indicates that the proposed Sm_2O_3 saturable absorber is viable for the construction of a flexible and reliably stable mode-locked pulsed fiber laser operating in the 1.5 m region.     

Titanium Carbide MXene as a Mode Locker in Erbium-Doped Fiber Laser Cavity

Journal of Russian Laser Research - We propose a MXene Ti3C2Tx thin-film and demonstrate as saturable absorber (SA) to generate mode-locked laser pulses. In constructing the SA, titanium carbide...     

Q-Switched Fiber Laser with a Hafnium-Bismuth-Erbium Codoped Fiber as Gain Medium and Sb2Te3 as Saturable Absorber

Journal of Russian Laser Research - We successfully demonstrate Q-switched fiber laser with a 20 cm long Hafnium-Bismuth-Erbium codoped fiber (HBEDF) as an active medium in conjunction with...     

Anthelmintic Effect of Leucaena leucocephala Extract and Its Active Compound,Mimosine, on Vital Behavioral Activities in Caenorhabditis elegans

Helminth infections continue to be a neglected global threat in tropical regions, and there have been growing cases of anthelmintic resistance reported towards the existing anthelmintic drugs. Thus, the search for a novel anthelmintic agent has been increasing, especially those derived from plants. Leucaena leucocephala (LL) is a leguminous plant that is known to have several pharmacological activities, including anthelmintic activity. It is widely known to contain a toxic compound called mimosine, which we believed could be a potential lead candidate that could exert a potent anthelmintic effect. Hence, this study aimed to validate the presence of mimosine in LL extract and to investigate the anthelmintic effect of LL extract and mimosine on head thrashing, egg-laying, and pharyngeal pumping activities using the animal model Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). Mimosine content in LL extract was confirmed through an HPLC analysis of spiking LL extract with different mimosine concentrations, whereby an increasing trend in peak heights was observed at a retention time of 0.9 min. LL extract and mimosine caused a significant dose-dependent increase in the percentage of worm mortality, which produced LC50s of 73 mg/mL and 6.39 mg/mL, respectively. Exposure of C. elegans to different concentrations of LL extract and mimosine significantly decreased the head thrashing, egg-laying, and mean pump amplitude of pharyngeal pumping activity. We speculated that these behavioral changes are due to the inhibitory effect of LL extract and mimosine on an L-type calcium channel called EGL-19. Our findings provide evidential support for the potential of LL extract and its active compound, mimosine, as novel anthelmintic candidates. However, the underlying mechanism of the anthelmintic action has yet to be elucidated.