Ring-Down Absorption Spectroscopy for Analytical Microdevices

Ring-down absorption spectroscopy is an emerging ‘‘label-free’’ detection method for analytical microdevices, such as micrototal analysis systems (l-TAS). Developed from the related gas-phase cavity ring-down absorption spectroscopy, fiber-optic-based ring-down techniques for liquid samples offer low detection limits, high sensitivity and fast response. ª 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nonlinear dynamics and solitons in Debye bi-crystals

The nonlinear dynamics of longitudinal dust lattice waves propagating in a dusty plasma bi-crystal is investigated. A “diatomic”-like one-dimensional dust lattice configuration is considered, consisting of two distinct dust grain species with different charges and masses. Two different frequency dispersion modes are obtained in the linear limit, namely, an optical and an acoustic wave dispersion branch. Nonlinear solitary wave solutions are shown to exist in both branches, by considering the continuum limit for lattice excitations in different nonlinear potential regimes. For this purpose, a generalized Boussinesq and an extended Korteweg de Vries equation is derived, for the acoustic mode excitations, and their exact soliton solutions are provided and compared. For the optic mode, a nonlinear Schrödinger-type equation is obtained, which is shown to possess bright- (dark-) type envelope soliton solutions in the long (short, respectively) wavelength range. Optic-type longitudinal wavepackets are shown to be generally unstable in the continuum limit, though this is shown not to be the rule in the general (discrete) case.

Recent developments in X-UV optics and X-UV diagnostics

Metrology of XUV beams (X-ray lasers, high-harmonic generation and VUV free-electron lasers) is of crucial importance for the development of applications. We have thus developed several new optical systems enabling us to measure the optical properties of XUV beams. By use of a Michelson interferometer working as a Fourier-transform spectrometer, the line shapes of different X-ray lasers have been measured with a very high accuracy (Deltalambda/lambdasimilar to10(-6)). Achievement of the first XUV wavefront sensor has enabled us to measure the beam quality of laser-pumped as well as discharge-pumped X-ray lasers. A capillary discharge X-ray laser has demonstrated a very good wavefront allowing us to achieve an intensity as high as 3x10(14) W cm(-2) by focusing with a f=5 cm mirror. The sensor accuracy has been measured using a calibrated spherical wave generated by diffraction. The accuracy has been estimated to be as good as lambda/120 at 13 nm. Commercial developments are underway. At Laboratoire d'Optique Appliquee, we are setting up a new beamline based on high-harmonic generation in order to start the femtosecond, coherent XUV optic .

Ex vivo diagnosis of lung cancer using a Raman miniprobe.

Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death. The conventional method of confirming the diagnosis is bronchoscopy, inspecting the airways of the patient with a fiber optic endoscope. A number of studies have shown that Raman spectroscopy can diagnose lung cancer in vitro. In this study, Raman spectra were obtained from ex vivo normal and malignant lung tissue using a minifiber optic Raman probe suitable for insertion into the working channel of a bronchoscope. Shifted subtracted Raman spectroscopy was used to reduce the fluorescence from the lung tissue. Using principal component analysis with a leave-one-out analysis, the tissues were classified accurately. This novel technique has the potential to obtain Raman spectra from tumors from patients with lung cancer in vivo.

In situ cross-calibration of in-fibre Bragg Grating and Electrical Resistance Strain Gauges for structural monitoring using an extensometer

Special issue on Sensor Systems for Structural Health Monitoring Abstract—This study addresses the direct calibration of optical fiber strain sensors used for structural monitoring and is carried out in situ. The behavior of fiber-Bragg-grating-based sensor systems when attached to metal bars, in a manner representative of their use as reinforcement bars in structures, was examined and their response calibrated. To ensure the validity of the measurements,this was done using an extensometer with a further calibrationagainst the response of electrical resistance strain gauges, often conventionally used, for comparison. The results show a repeatable calibration generating a suitable geometric factor of extension to strain for these sensors, to enable accurate strain data to be obtained when the fiber-optic sensor system is in use in structural monitoring applications.

Oral Resveratrol Reduces Neuronal Damage in a Model of Multiple Sclerosis

Background: Neuronal loss in multiple sclerosis (MS) and its animal model, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), correlates with permanent neurological dysfunction. Current MS therapies have limited the ability to prevent neuronal damage. Methods: We examined whether oral therapy with SRT501, a pharmaceutical grade formulation of resveratrol, reduces neuronal loss during relapsing-remitting EAE. Resveratrol activates SIRT1, an NAD-dependent deacetylase that promotes mitochondrial function. Results: Oral SRT501 prevented neuronal loss during optic neuritis, an inflammatory optic nerve lesion in MS and EAE. SRT501 also suppressed neurological dysfunction during EAE remission, and spinal cords from SRT501-treated mice had significantly higher axonal density than vehicle-treated mice. Similar neuroprotection was mediated by SRT1720, another SIRT1-activating compound; and sirtinol, an SIRT1 inhibitor, attenuated SRT501 neuroprotective effects. SIRT1 activators did not prevent inflammation. Conclusions: These studies demonstrate that SRT501 attenuates neuronal damage and neurological dysfunction in EAE by a mechanism involving SIRT1 activation. SIRT1 activators are a potential oral therapy in MS. © 2010 by North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society.

Linear and nonlinear dynamics of a dust bicrystal consisting of positive and negative dust particles

A dusty plasma crystalline configuration consisting of charged dust grains of alternating charge sign (.../+/-/+/-/+/...) and mass is considered. Both charge and mass of each dust species are taken to be constant. Considering the equations of longitudinal motion, a dispersion relation for linear longitudinal vibrations is derived from first principles and then analyzed. Two harmonic modes are obtained, namely, an acoustic mode and an inverse-dispersive optic-like one. The nonlinear aspects of acoustic longitudinal dust grain motion are addressed via a generalized Boussinesq (and, alternatively, a generalized Korteweg-de Vries) description. (C) 2005 American Institute of Physics.

Localized excitations of charged dust grains in dusty plasma lattices

The nonlinear aspects of charged dust grain motion in a one-dimensional dusty plasma (DP) monolayer are discussed. Both horizontal (longitudinal, acoustic mode) and vertical (transverse, optic mode) displacements are considered, and various types of localized excitations are reviewed, in a continuum approximation. Dust crystals are shown to support nonlinear kink-shaped supersonic longitudinal solitary excitations, as well as modulated envelope (either longitudinal or transverse) localized modes. The possibility for Discrete Breather (DB-) type excitations (Intrinsic Localized Modes, ILMs) to occur is investigated, from first principles. These highly localized excitations owe their existence to lattice discreteness, in combination with the interaction and/or
substrate (sheath) potential nonlinearity. This possibility may open new directions in DP- related research. The relation to previous results on atomic chains as well as to experimental results on strongly-coupled dust layers in gas discharge plasmas is discussed.

Stability of dust lattice modes in the presence of charged dust grain polarization in plasmas

We discuss the effect of the attractive force associated with overlapping Debye spheres on the dispersion properties of the longitudinal and transverse dust lattice waves in strongly coupled dust crystals. The dust grain attraction is shown to contribute to a destabilization of the longitudinal dust lattice oscillations. The (optic-like) transverse mode dispersion law is shown to change. due to the Debye sphere dressing effect, from the known inverse-dispersive ("backward wave") form into a normal dispersive law (i.e. the group velocity changes sign). The stability of one-dimensionless bi-layers, consisting of (alternating) negatively and positively charged dust particles, is also discussed. The range of parameter values (mainly in terms of the lattice parameter kappa) where the above predictions are valid, are presented. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Modulated electrostatic modes in pair plasmas: Modulational stability profile and envelope excitations

A pair plasma consisting of two types of ions, possessing equal masses and opposite charges, is considered. The nonlinear propagation of modulated electrostatic wave packets is studied by employing a two-fluid plasma model. Considering propagation parallel to the external magnetic field, two distinct electrostatic modes are obtained, namely a quasiacoustic lower moddfe and a Langmuir-like, as optic-type upper one, in agreement with experimental observations and theoretical predictions. Considering small yet weakly nonlinear deviations from equilibrium, and adopting a multiple-scale technique, the basic set of model equations is reduced to a nonlinear Schrodinger equation for the slowly varying electric field perturbation amplitude. The analysis reveals that the lower (acoustic) mode is stable and may propagate in the form of a dark-type envelope soliton (a void) modulating a carrier wave packet, while the upper linear mode is intrinsically unstable, and may favor the formation of bright-type envelope soliton (pulse) modulated wave packets. These results are relevant to recent observations of electrostatic waves in pair-ion (fullerene) plasmas, and also with respect to electron-positron plasma emission in pulsar magnetospheres. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.

Electrostatic mode envelope excitations in e-p-i plasmas - application in warm pair ion plasmas with a small fraction of stationary ions

The nonlinear propagation of amplitude-modulated electrostatic wavepackets in an electron-positron-ion (e-p-i) plasma is considered, by employing a two-fluid plasma model. Considering propagation parallel to the external magnetic field, two distinct electrostatic modes are obtained, namely a quasi-thermal acoustic-like lower mode and a Langmuir-like optic-type upper one. These results equally apply in warm pair ion ( e. g. fullerene) plasmas contaminated by a small fraction of stationary ions ( or dust), in agreement with experimental observations and theoretical predictions in pair plasmas. Considering small yet weakly nonlinear deviations from equilibrium, and adopting a multiple-scales perturbation technique, the basic set of model equations is reduced to a nonlinear Schrodinger (NLS) equation for the slowly varying electric field perturbation amplitude. The analysis reveals that the lower ( acoustic) mode is mostly stable for large wavelengths, and may propagate in the form of a dark-type envelope soliton ( a void) modulating a carrier wavepacket, while the upper linear mode is intrinsically unstable, and thus favours the formation of bright-type envelope soliton ( pulse) modulated wavepackets. The stability ( instability) range for the acoustic ( Langmuir-like optic) mode shifts to larger wavenumbers as the positive-to-negative ion temperature ( density) ratio increases. These results may be of relevance in astrophysical contexts, where e-p-i plasmas are encountered, and may also serve as prediction of the behaviour of doped ( or dust-contaminated) fullerene plasmas, in the laboratory.

Oblique modulation of electrostatic modes and envelope excitations in pair-ion and electron-positron plasmas

The nonlinear amplitude modulation of electrostatic waves propagating in a collisionless two-component plasma consisting of negative and positive species of equal mass and absolute charge is investigated. Pair-ion (e.g., fullerene) and electron-positron (e-p) plasmas (neglecting recombination) are covered by this description. Amplitude perturbation oblique to the direction of propagation of the wave has been considered. Two distinct linear electrostatic modes exist, namely an acoustic lower mode and Langmuir-type optic-type upper one. The behavior of each of these modes is examined from the modulational stability point of view. The stability criteria are investigated, depending on the electrostatic carrier wave number, the angle theta between the modulation and propagation directions, and the positron-to-electron temperature ratio sigma. The analysis shows that modulated electrostatic wavepackets associated to the lower (acoustic) mode are unstable, for small values of carrier wave number k (i.e., for large wavelength lambda) and for finite (small) values of the angle theta (yet stable for higher theta), while those related to the upper (optic-like) mode are stable for large values of the angle theta only, in the same limit, yet nearly for all values of sigma. These results are of relevance in astrophysical contexts (e.g., in pulsar environments), where e-p plasmas are encountered, or in pair fullerene-ion plasmas, in laboratory. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.

Regulation of OPA1-mediated mitochondrial fusion by leucine zipper/EF-hand-containing transmembrane protein-1 plays a role in apoptosis

Carboxyl-terminal modulator protein (CTMP) is a tumor suppressor-like binding partner of Protein kinase B (PKB/Akt) that negative regulates this kinase. In the course of our recent work, we identified that CTMP is consistently associated with leucine zipper/EF-hand-containing transmembrane-1 (LETM1). Here, we report that adenovirus-LETM1 increased the sensitivity of HeLa cells to apoptosis, induced by either staurosporine or actinomycin D. As shown previously, LETM1 localized to the inner mitochondrial membrane. Electron-microscopy analysis of adenovirus-LETM1 transduced cells revealed that mitochondrial cristae were swollen in these cells, a phenotype similar to that observed in optic atrophy type-1 (OPA1)-ablated cells. OPA1 cleavage was increased in LETM1-overexpressing cells, and this phenotype was reversed by overexpression of OPA1 variant-7, a cleavage resistant form of OPA1. Taken together, these data suggest that LETM1 is a novel binding partner for CTMP that may play an important role in mitochondrial fragmentation via OPA1-cleavage. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Exoplanets or Dynamic Atmospheres? The Radial Velocity and Line Shape Variations of 51 Pegasi and tau Bootis

The stars 51 Pegasi and tau Bootis show radial velocity variations that have been interpreted as resulting from companions with roughly Jovian mass and orbital periods of a few days. Gray and Gray & Hatzes reported that the radial velocity signal of 51 Peg is synchronous with variations in the shape of the line lambda 6253 Fe I; thus, they argue that the velocity signal arises not from a companion of planetary mass but from dynamic processes in the atmosphere of the star, possibly nonradial pulsations. Here we seek confirming evidence for line shape or strength variations in both 51 Peg and tau Boo, using R = 50,000 observations taken with the Advanced Fiber Optic Echelle. Because of our relatively low spectral resolution, we compare our observations with Gray's line bisector data by fitting observed line profiles to an expansion in terms of orthogonal (Hermite) functions. To obtain an accurate comparison, we model the emergent line profiles from rotating and pulsating stars, taking the instrumental point-spread function into account. We describe this modeling process in detail. We find no evidence for line profile or strength variations at the radial velocity period in either 51 Peg or in tau Boo. For 51 Peg, our upper limit for line shape variations with 4.23 day periodicity is small enough to exclude with 10 sigma confidence the bisector curvature signal reported by Gray & Hatzes; the bisector span and relative line depth signals reported by Gray are also not seen, but in this case with marginal (2 sigma ) confidence. We cannot, however, exclude pulsations as the source of 51 Peg's radial velocity variation because our models imply that line shape variations associated with pulsations should be much smaller than those computed by Gray & Hatzes; these smaller signals are below the detection limits both for Gray & Hatzes's data and for our own. tau Boo's large radial velocity amplitude and v sin i make it easier to test for pulsations in this star. Again we find no evidence for periodic line shape changes, at a level that rules out pulsations as the source of the radial velocity variability. We conclude that the planet hypothesis remains the most likely explanation for the existing data.