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Dental caries is now considered to be caused by acids produced by the overall dental plaque microbiota rather than by specific pathogens. This study focused on the relationship between dental caries experience and the variations in tongue microbiota, which is adjacent but separate from the dental plaque microbiota., The tongue microbiota of elderly adults is composed of two cohabiting commensal groups and their ratios are related to the number of teeth with dental caries experience. In this study, the variation in the tongue microbiota of primary school children and its relationship with the dental caries experience were investigated. We examined the tongue microbiota of 138 children aged 6 to 7 years and 11 to 12 years (61 and 77 children, respectively) who underwent annual dental examinations. The bacterial composition was determined by sequencing the V1-V2 region of the 16S rRNA gene. Cooccurrence network analysis indicated two groups of cohabiting predominant commensals in the tongue microbiota of children. The microbiota in children without a history of dental caries showed significantly higher relative abundances of one of the cohabiting groups, primarily composed of Neisseria subflava, Porphyromonas pasteri, and Fusobacterium periodonticum, compared to that in children with a history of dental caries, which is consistent with that of elderly adults with fewer teeth with dental caries experience. Linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) further identified Streptococcus oralis subsp. dentisani, belonging to the aforementioned commensal group, as a discriminant species in children without dental caries experience aged 6 to 7 years and 11 to 12 years. Our results describe the tongue microbiota composition of primary school children without history of dental caries and support the possibility that dental caries experience is accompanied by a shift in the tongue microbiota. IMPORTANCE Dental caries is now considered to be caused by acids produced by the overall dental plaque microbiota rather than by specific pathogens. This study focused on the relationship between dental caries experience and the variations in tongue microbiota, which is adjacent but separate from the dental plaque microbiota. Our results demonstrated that the tongue microbiota of primary school children with no history of dental caries experience was composed of predominant commensals with different relative abundances compared to those present in children with dental caries experience, suggesting that dental caries experience is accompanied by a shift in the tongue microbiota. The maintenance of a healthy tongue microbiota may indirectly contribute to the prevention of dental caries.

Fourier phase gratings play a vital role in the multi-beam heterodyne receiver in sub-millimeter astronomical instruments. In this study, a 1×4 beam grating at 660 GHz is developed, by which the surface structure is generated with an iterative algorithm. Far-field beam pattern is simulated with FEKO, where a relative high efficiency of 91% as well as a uniformity of power distribution among 4 beams of less than 1% are obtained. The grating was manufactured in aluminum material by a micro-milling machine. A PC-controlled scanning stage is employed for the beam pattern measurement. Despite the discrepancy from the manufacture of less than 6 μm, measurement results exhibit a good agreement with simulation in both power efficiency and far-field spatial distribution.

We have developed a fiber coupled demultiplexed local oscillator (LO) source for cryogenic applications based on a distributed feedback quantum cascade laser (QCL) at an operating wavelength of 10.6 μm. The coupling scheme relies on the combination of a phase grating generating multiple LO beams and a polycrystalline fiber delivering the demultiplexed LO signal to a superconducting mixer at 4 K in a closed-cycle cryostat. This scheme eases the use of a beam splitter in front of the mixer. Reflection phase grating generating 2 × 2 beams has been achieved with a total power efficiency of 64% based on a gold covered etched silicon nanostructure. The diffraction beam has been readily coupled into a 2 m long polycrystalline fiber, where a single-lobe circular beam has been delivered at the fiber output. By aligning the fiber core position to the center of a superconducting hot electron bolometer mixer at the rear side, we demonstrate the application of a fiber coupled demultiplexed QCL source for pumping the superconducting mixer with adequate LO power.We have developed a fiber coupled demultiplexed local oscillator (LO) source for cryogenic applications based on a distributed feedback quantum cascade laser (QCL) at an operating wavelength of 10.6 μm. The coupling scheme relies on the combination of a phase grating generating multiple LO beams and a polycrystalline fiber delivering the demultiplexed LO signal to a superconducting mixer at 4 K in a closed-cycle cryostat. This scheme eases the use of a beam splitter in front of the mixer. Reflection phase grating generating 2 × 2 beams has been achieved with a total power efficiency of 64% based on a gold covered etched silicon nanostructure. The diffraction beam has been readily coupled into a 2 m long polycrystalline fiber, where a single-lobe circular beam has been delivered at the fiber output. By aligning the fiber core position to the center of a superconducting hot electron bolometer mixer at the rear side, we demonstrate the application of a fiber coupled demultiplexed QCL source for pumping the s...

We report on the development of a heterodyne receiver at mid-infrared wavelength for high-resolution spectroscopy applications. The receiver employs a superconducting NbN hot electron bolometer as a mixer and a room temperature distributed feedback quantum cascade laser operating at 10.6 μm (28.2 THz) as a local oscillator. The stabilization of the heterodyne receiver has been achieved using a feedback loop controlling the output power of the laser. Improved Allan variance times as well as a double sideband receiver noise temperature of 5000 K and a noise bandwidth of 2.8 GHz of the receiver system are demonstrated.