Electrooptic spectral shearing interferometry using a Mach-Zehnder modulator with a bias voltage sweeper

We propose a novel implementation of electrooptic spectral shearing interferometry (EOSSI) for complete characterization of optical pulses. We measure the spectrum of the output pulse of a Mach-Zehnder intensity modulator by sweeping the bias voltage. By doing this, we can synthesize a spectral fringe, with which we can reconstruct the waveform of the pulse under test. Compared to the previous EOSSI, our proposal simplifies the setup and enables us to measure high-repetition rate trains of optical pulses. In the experiment, we characterize picosecond optical pulse trains at a repetition rate of 10 GHz with high sensitivity and reliability.     

Monitoring of Steel Railway Floor Beams Prestressed by Steel Plates

Steel cables and tendons are commonly used in reinforcing steel beams as well as in concrete beams. However, the structural detail of cable anchors in steel beams tends to be complicated, and the effect on reducing live load stresses is not significant because of the relatively small stiffness of cables and tendons. On the contrary, by using high strength steel plates instead of cables and tendons, structural detail of the anchor area becomes simpler, and live load stresses as well as dead load stresses can be reduced in steel beams because of the relatively large stiffness of steel plates. In this study, the steel plate prestressing method is applied to beam specimens and intermediate floor beams of a steel railway through girder bridge. The behavior of the reinforcing steel plates and reinforced steel beams is monitored during prestressing and live loading, in order to assess the effects of prestressing and reinforcement. The study confirmed that these effects are beneficial to the performance of steel railway floor beams.     

Tunable DFB laser with a striped thin-film heater

The authors propose a very simple tunable laser with a striped thin-film heater. The wavelength of this laser changes with a sensitivity of 3.2 nm/W to the input heating power. This laser can be continuously tuned over a range of 4 nm while maintaining an optical power of 20 mW and with a linewidth of less than 2.5 MHz. When this laser is mounted on a module, its 90% response time is 6 ms, which is fast enough for use as a local oscillator in several applications     

A rearrangeable multichannel free-space optical switch based onmultistage network configuration

A rearrangeable 128×128-channel optical switch based on a multistage network configuration is demonstrated. The properties of optical components required for achieving up to 1000×1000-channel switches are discussed, taking into account the diffraction limit and liquid crystal light modulator (LCLM) crosstalk. An examination of the insertion loss and crosstalk properties of the switch reveals an average loss and crosstalk of 7.9 and -21.2 dB, respectively, and worst-case loss and crosstalk of 11.0 and -12.8 dB, respectively. Such low-loss and low-crosstalk properties indicate that the proposed switch structure is suitable for a large-scale rearrangeable switch     

Degradation of a sodium acrylate oligomer by an Arthrobacter sp

Arthrobacter sp. strain NO-18 was first isolated from soil as a bacterium which could degrade the sodium acrylate oligomer and utilize it as the sole source of carbon. When 0.2% (wt/wt) oligomer was added to the culture medium, the acrylate oligomer was found to be degraded by 70 to 80% in 2 weeks, using gel permeation chromatography. To determine the maximum molecular weight for biodegradation, the degradation test was done with the hexamer, heptamer, and octamer, which were separated from the oligomer mixture by fractional gel permeation chromatography. The hexamer and heptamer were consumed to the extents of 58 and 36%, respectively, in 2 weeks, but the octamer was not degraded. Oligomers with three different terminal groups were synthesized to examine the effect of the different terminal groups on biodegradation, but few differences were found. Arthrobacter sp. NO-18 assimilated acrylic acid, propionic acid, glutaric acid, 2-methylglutaric acid, and 1,3,5-pentanetricarboxylic acid. Degradation of the acrylic unit structure by this strain is discussed.     

Nanostructured optical waveguide films of TiO2 and WO3−x for photonic gas sensors

Pulsed laser deposition technique was used to fabricate successfully nanostructured optical waveguide films of TiO₂ and WO_3 − x for gas-sensing applications. High-quality mode spectra, consisting of well-defined bright mode lines were observed in the samples with smooth surface. Films' structural, morphological and optical properties as well as the chemical composition were investigated by using x-ray diffraction, scanning electron and atomic force microscopy, UV-VIS-NIR, m-line and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively.Gas sensitivity was investigated at room temperature using m-line spectroscopy technique on basis of reversible variations of the refractive index of the samples under gas exposure. Testing scheme recording the bright m-line shift as optical response was proposed.     

Pharmaceutical and nutraceutical approaches for preventing liver carcinogenesis: Chemoprevention of hepatocellular carcinoma using acyclic retinoid and branched‐chain amino acids

The poor prognosis for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is associated with its high rate of recurrence in the cirrhotic liver. Therefore, more effective strategies need to be urgently developed for the chemoprevention of this malignancy. The malfunction of retinoid X receptor α, a retinoid receptor, due to phosphorylation by Ras/mitogen‐activated protein kinase is closely associated with liver carcinogenesis and may be a promising target for HCC chemoprevention. Acyclic retinoid (ACR), a synthetic retinoid, can prevent HCC development by inhibiting retinoid X receptor α phosphorylation and improve the prognosis for this malignancy. Supplementation with branched‐chain amino acids (BCAA), which are used to improve protein malnutrition in patients with liver cirrhosis, can also reduce the risk of HCC in obese cirrhotic patients. In experimental studies, both ACR and BCAA exert suppressive effects on HCC development and the growth of HCC cells. In particular, combined treatment with ACR and BCAA cooperatively inhibits the growth of HCC cells. Furthermore, ACR and BCAA inhibit liver tumorigenesis associated with obesity and diabetes, both of which are critical risk factors for HCC development. These findings suggest that pharmaceutical and nutraceutical approaches using ACR and BCAA may be promising strategies for preventing HCC and improving the prognosis of this malignancy.     

Preparation of chiral poly(diacetylene) films from 10,12-pentacosadiynoic acid using circularly polarized light

By irradiating evaporated 10,12-pentacosadiynoic acid (p-DA) monomer film with circularly polarized light (CPL), we prepared chiral poly(diacetylene) [PDA] film. The circular dichroism (CD) was obtained reproducibly, depending on the rotational direction of the CPL. The induced chirality showed the dependence on the substrate temperature used for the preparation of evaporated p-DA monomer films, and it was stable after the transition to red-phase by annealing. Results suggest that side chain of polymer made a significant contribution to the formation of red-phase chiral PDA.     

Complement‐modulating water‐soluble polysaccharide fractions in two global staple cereals: rice and wheat

BACKGROUND: There has been considerable interest recently in the physiological effects of foods on health. Research has focused on biological effects on the immune system, as substances related to the human defense system are expected to be found in staple cereals. The aims of the present study were to investigate whether water‐soluble polysaccharide fractions in wheat have anticomplementary activity, which was found in rice, and to distinguish between real complement inhibitors and complement‐activating substances. RESULTS: Anticomplementary activity of polysaccharide isolated from Glycyrrhiza uralensis, a medicinal herb, showed similar potency to that of rice polysaccharides but not wheat polysaccharide. By varying pre‐incubation time with complement, rice polysaccharides were identified as a stimulator of both the classical and alternative pathways of complement activation (humoral immunity). CONCLUSION: Non‐amylaceous water‐soluble polysaccharide fractions in cereals do not necessarily have similar activity, whereas it is a new finding that staple cereals include this immunomodulating activity, which is positively related to health. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

Electrical communication between NAD-dependent enzyme and metal electrode using ferrocene-labeled NAD derivatives

The target N6-ferrocene substituted NAD derivatives (ferrocene-labeled NAD, Fc-NAD) were synthesized as an electron-relay NAD cofactor. The synthesized NAD derivatives possessed some biological activities as substrates in the alcohol dehydrogenase systems. The oxidation current depended on both addition of ethanol and spacer length of Fc-NAD.