Birefringence Loss Research Articles

Effect of High Hydrostatic Pressure on Physicochemical and Structural Properties of Rice Starch

Rice starch–water suspension (20%) were subjected to high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) treatment at 120, 240, 360, 480, and 600 MPa for 30 min. Polarizing light microscope, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), rapid visco analyzer (RVA), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), and X-ray diffraction were used to investigate the physicochemical and structural changes of starch. Microscopy studies showed that the treatment of starch with HHP under 600 MPa for 30 min resulted in a complete loss of birefringence and a gel-like appearance. The treatment of starch suspension with HHP at 600 MPa resulted in a significant increase in swelling power and solubility at low temperature (50–60 °C), but opposite trends were found at high temperature (70–90 °C). The DSC analysis showed a decrease in gelatinization temperatures and gelatinization enthalpy with increase of pressure levels. RVA viscograms of starches exhibited an increase in peak, trough, and final viscosities, peak time, and pasting temperature but decrease of breakdown, setback viscosities, and pasting temperature when pressure was increased. X-ray diffraction studies showed that the HHP treatment converted rice starch that displayed the A-type X-ray patterns to the B-type-like pattern. These results showed that the treatment of rice starch in 20% starch/water suspension at a pressure of 600 MPa for 30 min led to a complete gelatinization of starch granules.

Thermal effects in high-power Nd:YAG disk-type solid state laser

An investigation of thermal effects in a high-power Nd:YAG disk-type solid state laser pumped with different pump beam transverse profiles is carried out by numerical simulation based on the finite element method (FEM). Impact of the heat sink on the thermal effects is included in the simulation. The distribution of first principle stress, thermally induced birefringence, including the distribution and variation of the birefringence loss, are studied. The characteristics of the phase variation are analyzed with consideration of the temperature gradient, deformation, strain and thermal stress. Thermal lensing is explored as a function of pump power and of the radius pumped with different pump beam transverse profiles. The non-parabolic part of optical phase distortion is simulated. Furthermore, the characteristics of the bi-focus of the disk laser are also studied. Experiments on the maximum tensile stress distribution and depolarization loss are carried out. The presented calculations are in qualitative agreement with the experimental observations.

Investigating the Avidin-Biotin Interaction on Chiral Soft Structure Platforms

The synthesis of a novel biotin-cholesterol conjugate is described together with its propensity to self-assemble and exhibit interesting optical behaviour, when examined under cross-polarized light. The avidin-biotin interaction performed with this conjugate reveals loss of birefringence suggesting that such constructs could possibly be applied for optical tracking of important biological interactions.

Thermomechanical stability of sclera after glyceraldehyde crosslinking

Recently, glyceraldehyde-induced crosslinking was proposed by us for the treatment of progressive myopia, increasing significantly the biomechanical rigidity of sclera. The aim of the present study was to investigate the changes in thermo-mechanical stability after scleral glyceraldehyde crosslinking, allowing a better evaluation of the efficacy of crosslinking. One hundred and twenty six porcine eyes were retrieved from the local abattoir. Using hot saline solution, the threshold shrinkage temperature (Ts) was determined for both equatorial scleral strips and whole eye globes incubated with glyceraldehyde for 4days. Untreated control samples and specimens crosslinked with formaldehyde for 4days were tested for comparison. In the globes, a small 6mm limbus-parallel scleral strip was excised 5mm behind the limbus to allow extrusion of the vitreous, facilitating heat-induced globe contraction. After heat exposure, the eyes were examined histologically by light microscopy. There was significant Maillard browning of the sclera after incubation with glyceraldehyde. The contraction temperature determined in the glyceraldehyde group was 78°C for both scleral strips and globes, in the formaldehyde group 88°C for scleral strips and 92°C for globes, and in non-crosslinked controls 62°C for scleral strips and 68°C for globes. Interestingly, the eye balls contracted in an implosion-like manner, leading to an abrupt reduction in eye volume by about one third. On light microscopy, scleral thickening, heat denaturation of collagen fibers, and loss of birefringence were noted. Scleral collagen crosslinking by glyceraldehyde proved very efficient in increasing the scleral thermomechanical stability by at least 10°C in Ts, stabilizing the eye shape and preventing the shrinkage of the eye in all dimensions. There is hope that, in a similar manner, glyceraldehyde crosslinking can stabilize the scleral collagen crosslinks and eye shape in myopia, stopping progression of scleral thinning and stretching.

The potential of optical coherence tomography for diagnosing meniscal pathology

Meniscal tears are often associated with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and may lead to pain and discomfort in humans. Maximal preservation of meniscal tissue is highly desirable to mitigate the progression of osteoarthritis. Guidelines of which meniscal tears are amenable to repair and what part of damaged tissues should be removed are elusive and lacking consensus. Images of microstructural changes in meniscus would potentially guide the surgeons to manage the meniscal tears better, but the resolution of current diagnostic techniques is limited for this application. In this study, we demonstrated the feasibility of using optical coherence tomography (OCT) for the diagnosis of meniscal pathology. Torn medial menisci were collected from dogs with ACL insufficiency. The torn meniscus was divided into three tissue samples and scanned by OCT and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). OCT and SEM images of torn menisci were compared. Each sample was evaluated for gross and microstructural abnormalities and reduction or loss of birefringence from the OCT images. The abnormalities detected with OCT were described for each type of tear. OCT holds promise in non-destructive and fast assessment of microstructural changes and tissue birefringence of meniscal tears. Future development of intraoperative OCT may help surgeons in the decision making of meniscal treatment.

A study in situ of the effect of metallo- and serine proteinase inhibitors on the birefringence of the secretory stage enamel organic extracellular matrix

Dental enamel formation occurs extracellularly and establishment of an ordered enamel organic extracellular matrix (ECM) seems to be crucial for proper construction of the enamel mineral phase. Polarizing microscopy shows that the ordered supramolecular structure of the secretory stage enamel organic ECM exhibits strong birefringence. We reported earlier that this birefringence is lost in unfixed specimens, probably due to extensive proteolytic cleavage of enamel proteins. Therefore, we investigated the association between enamel proteinase activities by analyzing the effects of metallo- and serine proteinase inhibitors in situ on the birefringence of the secretory stage enamel organic ECM. Male rats were used in the present study. After sacrifice, distal 10 mm fragments of upper incisors were removed and immersed for 15 h under continuous shaking at 37°C in one of the following solutions: 1) 10 mM Tris, pH 8.0; 150 mM NaCl (negative control, n = 8); 2) 2% paraformaldehyde and 0.5% glutaraldehyde in 0.2 M phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), pH 7.2 (positive control, n = 5); 3) 10 mM Tris, pH 8.0; 150 mM NaCl; 2 mM 1,10-phenanthroline (n = 9); 4) 10 mM Tris, pH 8.0; 150 mM NaCl; 2 mM phenylmethyl-sulfonyl fluoride (PMSF) (n = 8); 5) 10 mM Tris, pH 8.0; 150 mM NaCl; 2 mM 1,10-phenanthroline; 2 mM PMSF (n = 9). Samples then were immersed in fixative solution for 24 h and processed to obtain 5 μm thick longitudinal sections of the secretory stage enamel organic ECM. The sections were immersed in 80% glycerin for 30 min and analyzed by transmitted polarizing light microscopy. 1,10-Phenanthroline (inhibitor of metalloproteinases) and 1,10-phenanthroline + PMSF (inhibitor of serine proteinases) clearly prevented a decrease in the optical retardation of birefringence brightness from the tissue. PMSF alone promoted a slight preservation of the birefringence exhibited by the secretory stage enamel organic ECM. Rapid loss of birefringence in secretory stage enamel organic ECM that is not fixed immediately is caused by enamel proteinases and the activity of metalloproteinases seems to lead to preliminary degradation of the enamel organic ECM, which in turn facilitates subsequent serine proteinase activity.

Ionic Conductivity Induced Loss of Birefringence of Banana-Shaped Liquid Crystal

The effects of ionic conductivity on the electro-optical properties of a chiral banana-shaped liquid crystal 1,3-phenylene bis{4-[3-chloro-4-(3,7-dimethyloctyloxyl)] phenyliminomethyl} benzoate were investigated with the techniques of polarizing optical microscopy and dielectric spectroscopy. When the banana-shaped liquid crystal was experienced a low-frequency (1 Hz) triangular waveform electric field, its polarizing optical microscopic textures were first turned into gray and then into black at about 95oC, a few degrees lower than the clearing temperature of the banana-shaped liquid crystal. Detailed dielectric spectroscopic characterizations showed that ionic conductivity increased exponentially as the temperature increased from 72 to 110oC. Our results suggested that dominant ionic conductivity near its clearing temperature is responsible for the electric-field induced loss in the birefringence of the banana-shaped liquid crystal.

Pressure−Temperature Phase Diagrams of Maize Starches with Different Amylose Contents

The amylose/amylopectin ratio in starch granules has a distinct impact on the physicochemical properties of starches. In this study the effects of high pressure and temperature combinations on the gelatinization of four maize starches with different amylose contents were investigated in an excess of water (90% w/w). Microscopy was used to determine the loss of birefringence in starch granules. Experiments were undertaken in the pressure range of 0.1-750 MPa and temperature range of 30-110 degrees C, holding the conditions constant for 5 min. Temperature and pressure stabilities of high amylose starches were found to be significantly higher than those of waxy and normal maize starch. Thermodynamic models are proposed to describe the loss in birefringence as a function of pressure and temperature. From the pressure-temperature phase diagrams constructed it was evident that maize starch gelatinization is not accelerated at pressures below 300-400 MPa. However, at higher pressures the threshold temperature to initiate starch granule hydration and gelatinization is significantly reduced for all starches investigated. This study extends the knowledge of the impact of high pressure on food components and will possibly make the technology more attractive to use as a substitute for or in combination with conventional food-processing methods.

Effect of input states of polarization on the measurement error of Mueller matrix in a system having small polarization-dependent loss or gain

For the measurement of Mueller matrix in an optical system with birefringence and small polarization-dependent loss or gain (PDL/G), we theoretically derive the statistical relationship between the Mueller matrix measurement error and three input states of polarization (SOP). Based on this theoretical relation and simulation results, it can be concluded that the three input SOPs, that are coplanar with an angle of 120 degrees between any two of them in Stokes space, can be considered as a substitute for the best input SOPs which can statistically lead to the minimum measurement error. This conclusion is valid when the PDL/G of the optical system under test is less than 0.35 dB.

Theoretical Analysis of the Polarization- and Frequency-Dependent Gain for Fiber Optical Parametric Amplifier

We develop the gain expression of fiber optical parametric amplifier with birefringent effect and loss. The simulations show that the optical parametric amplifiers' gain is frequency-dependent and polarization-dependent. If the signal polarization state goes along the fast axis, when the average half-difference of two pump frequencies is smaller, the gain flatness is better; if the signal polarization state goes along the slow axis, when half-difference of two pump frequencies is smaller, the gain flatness is worse, and the gain bandwidth becomes wider. We still find that the signal gain is different under the distinct signal polarization state.

Highly birefringent photonic crystal fibers with near-zero dispersion at 1550 nm wavelength

This paper presents highly birefringent photonic crystal fibers with simultaneously near-zero dispersion and low confinement losses. The finite difference time domain method with anisotropic perfectly matched layer boundaries is used as the simulation software. According to simulation, it is shown that photonic crystal fibers with hybrid cladding and artificial defects along one of the orthogonal axes sufficiently results in a very high birefringence of the order 10−2 which is two orders of magnitude higher than that of the conventional polarization maintaining fibers. Such a fiber also assumes both near-zero dispersion and low confinement losses at the 1550 nm wavelength. Optical fibers with novel properties such as high birefringence, near-zero dispersion, and low confinement losses may have applications in optical sensing applications.

Chondrocyte Death and Cartilage Degradation after Autologous Osteochondral Transplantation Surgery in a Rabbit Model

Background Autologous osteochondral transplantation surgery requires an impact force on the graft that may cause chondrocyte death and matrix degradation. This study attempted to determine the degree to which this occurs in a rabbit model shortly after the procedure. Hypothesis Impaction of a press-fit autologous osteochondral graft in vivo results in chondrocyte necrosis, apoptosis, and matrix degradation at early time points. Study Design Controlled laboratory study. Methods Twenty New Zealand White rabbits underwent unilateral osteochondral transplantation (OT) surgeries, and 10, bilateral sham surgeries. Fifteen animals were sacrificed at time zero (10 sham-0 limbs, 10 OT-0 limbs), and 15, 4 days after surgery (10 sham-4 limbs, 10 OT-4 limbs). Chondrocyte viability/necrosis was determined with cell vital staining. Chondrocyte apoptosis was determined by TUNEL, Bcl-2, and M30 assays. Cartilage matrix degradation was determined by routine light and polarized light microscopy and COL2-3/4Cshort immunohistochemistry. Statistical analysis was performed with a 2-way analysis of variance (P < .05). Results There were significantly fewer viable cells in OT-4 than in sham-4. A similar difference in cell viability was found in OT-0 versus sham-0. There were more TUNEL-positive cells in OT-4 as compared with OT-0, sham-0, and sham-4; however, there was little or no staining of Bcl-2 and M30. Mankin scores were higher in both OT groups versus both sham groups at time zero and day 4. The OT-4 group had positive staining for COL2-3/4Cshort that corresponded with a loss of collagen birefringence at the superficial zone. Conclusion Osteochondral transplantation procedures performed by tamping a press-fit graft induce chondrocyte necrosis and matrix metalloproteinase—mediated cartilage matrix degradation. However, apoptosis was not found to a major contributor to cell death in this model. Clinical Relevance Results of osteochondral transplantation procedures may be improved by atraumatic insertion and fixation techniques or by pharmacologic agents that can block these degradative processes.

Birefringence and Confinement Loss Properties in Photonic Crystal Fibers Under Lateral Stress

Using the finite-element method, we investigate lateral stress-induced novel characteristics of birefringence and confinement loss in a photonic crystal fiber (PCF) of hexagonal symmetry. The results of simulation show us strong stress dependence of birefringence and confinement loss. We also find that the contribution of the geometrical effect that is related only to deformation of the PCF and the stress-related contribution to birefringence and confinement loss are entirely different. Furthermore, polarization-dependent stress sensitivity of confinement loss is proposed in this letter.

Chiral Correlation between Low-Birefringent Phases with Twist Grain Boundary-like Helix and Highly Birefringent Phases with Layer Chirality as Elucidated from Circular Dichroism Observations

The bent-shaped molecule with a central naphthalene core, 2,7-naphthalene-bis[4-(4-dodecylphenyliminomethyl)]benzoate, forms the low-birefringent B2 (LB-B2) phase with the twist grain boundary (TGB)-like helical structure and the low-birefringent B4 (LB-B4) phase in order of decreasing temperature. By applying the electric field, the LB-B2 phase is altered to the highly birefringent B2 (HB-B2) phase because of unwinding of the TGB-like helix. The HB-B2 phase is transformed to the HB-B4 phase without a loss of birefringence on cooling. These four phases show characteristic circular dichroism spectra, showing the consistent correlation through the transformation between these phases. The source of the chirality in the achiral system and the correlation in the chirality between these phases are discussed.

Design of low-confinement-loss and highly birefringent index-guiding photonic crystal fibers

We present a systematic scheme to achieve both high birefringence and low confinement loss in index-guiding photonic crystal fibers (PCFs), using a structurally-simple PCF with finite number of air holes in the cladding region. By increasing the size of the outermost-ring air holes in the cladding region, highly birefringent PCFs with low confinement loss can be successfully achieved. The design strategy is based on the fact that the modal birefringence of PCFs is dominated by the inner-ring air holes in PCF, which is verified by a full-vector finite element method with anisotropic perfectly matched layers. Numerical results show that modal birefringence in the order of 10−3 and confinement loss less than 0.1 dB/km can be easily realized in the proposed PCF with only four rings of air holes in the cladding region. We expect that such fibers will be much easier to be fabvicated than those with more air holes in the cladding region.

Intense Focused Ultrasound: Evaluation of a New Treatment Modality for Precise Microcoagulation within the Skin

Focused ultrasound can produce thermal and/or mechanical effects deep within tissue. We investigated the capability of intense focused ultrasound to induce precise and predictable subepidermal thermal damage in human skin. Postmortem human skin samples were exposed to a range of focused ultrasound pulses, using a prototype device (Ulthera Inc.) emitting up to 45 W at 7.5 MHz with a nominal focal distance of 4.2 mm from the transducer membrane. Exposure pulse duration ranged from 50 to 200 ms. Thermal damage was confirmed by light microscopy using a nitroblue tetrazolium chloride assay, as well as by loss of collagen birefringence in frozen sections. Results were compared with a computational model of intense ultrasound propagation and heating in tissue. Depth and extent of thermal damage were determined by treatment exposure parameters (source power, exposure time, and focal depth). It was possible to create individual and highly confined lesions or thermal damage up to a depth of 4 mm within the dermis. Thermal lesions typically had an inverted cone shape. A precise pattern of individual lesions was achieved in the deep dermis by applying the probe sequentially at different exposure locations. Intense focused ultrasound can be used as a noninvasive method for spatially confined heating and coagulation within the skin or its underlying structures. These findings have a significant potential for the development of novel, noninvasive treatment devices in dermatology.

A kind of photonic crystal fiber with high birefringence and low cofinement loss

The triangular-lattice highly birefringent photonic crystal fibers(PCFs) with gradually increasing diameter of the air holes along radial axis are put forward. The modal birefringence, dispersion and confinement loss of the fundamental mode are simulated by full vector Galerkin finite element method(FEM) with a perfectly matched layer(PML). The results show that this PCF can keep low confinement loss when the rings of air holes are few. When the wavelength is 1.55 μm, the birefringence, the confinement loss of quick-axis and slow-axis are 1.365×10−3, 0.017 dB/m and 0.051 dB/m, respectively. A new way is proposed to fabricate polarization-mainting fibers with high performance.

A Study on Liquid Hybrid Material for Waveguides—Synthesis and Property of PSQ‐Ls for Waveguides

Silicate‐based inorganic‐organic hybrid polymer systems have many unique properties including thermal stability and photo‐stability, chemical resistance with the combination of tunable optical properties. Two kinds of new UV‐patternable hybrid materials PSQ‐Ls were synthesized by a sol‐gel process at room temperature, which can be used for low cost fabrication of optical waveguides. Thick films (up to 8.31 µm) can be coated by a single spin‐coating process without any cracking and the average surface roughness (Ra), detected by atomic force microscopy (AFM), is below 0.5 nm. The optical properties (refractive index, birefringence, and optical loss at 1310 nm and 1550 nm, respectively) of the PSQ‐Ls films are investigated by a prism coupler. The refractive index of PSQ‐Ls can be exactly tuned from 1.4483 to 1.5212 by blending PSQ‐LH (nTE=1.5212 @ 1310 nm) and PSQ‐LL (nTE=1.4483 @ 1310 nm). The maximum refractive index contrast is about 4.8%. After post‐baking, birefringences of the films are below 0.0005 and optical losses are about 0.2 dB · cm−1 at 1310 nm, 0.7 dB · cm−1 at 1550 nm, respectively. Furthermore, the PSQ‐Ls films also show outstanding thermal stability in air atmospheres.

Birefringence and Confinement Loss Properties in Photonic Crystal Fibers Under Lateral Stress

Birefringence and Confinement Loss Properties in Photonic Crystal Fibers Under Lateral Stress

Polarization and leakage properties of rectangular lattice photonic crystal fibres with doped cores

Based on the analysis of birefringence and leakage properties in rectangular lattice photonic crystal fibres (RLPCFs), we present a simple technique of improving the optical properties of the fibres by the introduction of a doped core. The advantage of a doped core is firstly investigated by the comparison of the mode profiles of RLPCFs with a pure silica core, an additional air-hole in the core and a down-doped silica core. The influence of doping level on that of birefringence and leakage losses of the fibres is also explored. Our numerical simulation indicates, for PCFs with a anisotropic cladding, increased birefringence and reduced leakage losses can be obtained by a down-doped core. The proposed technique also has the merit of enlarging the mode field without the reduction of birefringence, therefore, coupling light to the fibre will become easier.