Determination of Coniothyrium minitans conidial and germling lectin avidity by flow cytometry and digital microscopy

The avidity of conidia and 48-h-old germlings of Coniothyrium minitans for FITC-conjugated lectins was characterised by flow cytometry and digital microscopy. Six isolates of C. minitans representing three morphological types were compared. Binding of Con A, SBA and WGA by conidial populations varied markedly in extent and pattern between isolates, however, with increasing culture age, conidia from all isolates demonstrated a significant reduction in lectin avidity. Germling isolates bound significantly different amounts of lectins and lectin binding differed significantly with locality. Spore walls of all germlings from all isolates bound more ConA compared with hyphal apices and mature hyphal walls. In contrast, hyphal apices of the majority of germling isolates, readily bound SBA and mature hyphal walls of germling isolates bound more WGA than other regions of the germlings. Such differential lectin binding by conidia and germlings may influence their specific surface interactions and adherence characteristics.

The use of microviscometry to study polymer dissolution from solid dispersion drug delivery systems

Solid dispersions can be used to improve dissolution of poorly soluble drugs and PVP is a common polymeric carrier in such systems. The mechanisms controlling release of drug from solid dispersions are not fully understood and proposed theories are dependent on an understanding of the dissolution behaviour of both components of the dispersion. This study uses microviscometry to measure small changes in the viscosity of the dissolution medium as the polymer dissolves from ibuprofen-PVP solid dispersions. The microviscometer determines the dynamic and kinematic viscosity of liquids based on the rolling/falling ball principle. Using a standard USP dissolution apparatus, the dissolution of the polymer from the solid dispersion was easily measured alongside drug release. Drug release was found to closely follow polymer dissolution at the molecular weights and ratios used. The combination of sensitivity and ease of use make microviscometry a valuable technique for the elucidation of mechanisms governing drug release from polymeric delivery systems. © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Systems biology approach to study permeability of paracetamol and its solid dispersion

Physiological changes that take place at cellular level are usually reflective of their level of gene expression. Different formulation excipients have an impact on physiological behavior of the exposed cells and in turn affect transporter genes, enterocyte-mediated metabolism and toxicity biomarkers. The aim of this study was to prepare solid dispersion of paracetamol and evaluate genetic changes that occur in Caco-2 cell lines during the permeability of paracetamol alone and paracetamol solid dispersion formulations. Paracetamol-PEG 8000 solid dispersion was prepared by melt fusion method and the formulation was characterised using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Formulation of solid dispersion resulted in the conversion of crystalline drug into an amorphous form. Permeability studies showed that paracetamol absorption was higher from the solid dispersion formulation. DNA microarrays analysis was carried out in order to investigate the involvement of any efflux/uptake transporters in paracetamol or its solid dispersion permeability. Neither transporter carriers nor efflux proteins were found to be involved in the absorption of paracetamol or its PEG solid dispersion. Gene expression analysis established that paracetamol toxicity was potentially reduced upon formulation into solid dispersion when ATP binding cassette (ABC) and solute carrier transporter (SLC) genes were analyzed.

Polarisation mode dispersion induced transmission penalties for long-haul high speed optical communication systems

Results of full numerical simulations of a guiding-centre soliton system with randomly birefringent SMF fibre are shown and analysed. It emerges that the soliton system becomes unstable even for small amounts of PMD.

Simulation of guiding-centre soliton transmission system stability in the presence of polarisation mode dispersion

Results of full numerical simulations of a guiding-centre soliton system with randomly birefringent SMF fibre are shown and analysed. It emerges that the soliton system becomes unstable even for small amounts of PMD.

Polarisation mode dispersion correlations with the coarse-step method

Having a fixed differential-group delay (DGD) term b′ in the coarse-step method results in a repetitive pattern in the autocorrelation function (ACF). We solve this problem by inserting a varying DGD term at each integration step. Furthermore we compute the range of values needed for b′ and simulate the phenomenon of polarisation mode dispersion for different statistical distributions of b′. We examine systematically the modified coarse-step method compared to the analytical model, through our simulation results. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Tunable compensation of second and third order dispersion by non-uniformly strained chirped fibre Bragg grating

A novel fibre grating device is demonstrated with tuneable chromatic dispersion slope. The tuning range is 70 to 190 ps/nm and 0 to 25 ps/nm2 for the second and third order dispersion, respectively.

Experimental observation of autosoliton propagation in a dispersion-managed system guided by nonlinear optical loop mirrors

Observation of autosoliton propagation in a dispersion-managed optical transmission system controlled by in-line nonlinear fiber loop switches is reported for what is believed to be the first time. The system is based on a strong dispersion map with large amplifier spacing. Operation at transmission rates of 10 and 40 Gbits/s is demonstrated. ©2004 Optical Society of America.

Stable propagation of solitons with increased energy through the combined action of dispersion management and periodic saturable absorption

It is shown, through numerical simulations, that by using a combination of dispersion management and periodic saturable absorption it is possible to transmit solitonlike pulses with greatly increased energy near to the zero net dispersion wavelength. This system is shown to support the stable propagation of solitons over transoceanic distances for a wide range of input powers.

Soliton transmission at 10 Gbit/s over 2022 km of standard fibre with dispersion compensation

We present experimental results of 10 Gbit/s, 20 ps soliton data transmission over standard fibre, dispersion compensated to 0.5 ps/nm/km. Acceptable Q values were measured to a distance of 2022 km.

Synchronized mode-locked erbium fibre lasers with intracavity dispersion control using chirped in-fibre Bragg gratings

We demonstrate a dual-wavelength fibre laser system using chirped fibre Bragg gratings as reflectors and dispersive elements. The system produces two synchronized trains of soliton pulses with rms jitter of 620 fs.

Low jitter, long distance pulse transmission near net fibre dispersion zero wavelength

The authors study experimentally ~10 ps return-to-zero pulse propagation near the net dispersion zero of an optical fibre transmission line. Stable near-jitter-free propagation was observed over 70 Mm. Pulse stabilisation and ASE suppression were achieved through the saturable aborber mechanism of nonlinear polarisation rotation.

Dispersion-modified actively mode-locked erbium fibre laser using a chirped fibre grating

The authors describe the operation of an actively modelocked Er fibre laser incorporating a chrped in fibre Bragg reflection grating as one end mirror to the cavity, acting as a lumped highly dispersive element. In one oreientation the grating shifted the cavity into normal dispersion regime and pulses of -25ps duration were produced. In the opposite oreintation, the cavity dispersion was anomalous and ~8ps pulses were produced with characterisitics typical of solitons propagating in a periodically perturbed system.