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Background Alpha1-Proteinase Inhibitor, Modified Process (Alpha-1 MP) is used for augmentation therapy in alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency (AATD), an extremely rare disease in Japan. Weekly doses of 60 mg/kg Alpha-1 MP have been shown to be safe and well tolerated in non-Japanese subjects, but the safety and pharmacokinetics (PK) have not been evaluated in Japanese subjects. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the safety and PK of 60 mg/kg Alpha-1 MP administered by weekly IV infusions over 8 weeks in Japanese subjects with AATD. Methods This was a multicenter, open-label trial in Japanese adults aged ≥20 years with AATD. Samples for evaluation of serum alpha1-PI concentration and PK parameters were collected at 10 time points until the seventh day after the last dose at Week 8: immediately before dosing, immediately after dosing (time 0), and 0.25, 2, 4, 8, 24, 48, 120, and 168 hours after dosing. Results Four subjects were analyzed. The median tmax was 0.534 h. Mean ± SD values for t½, Cmax, and AUC0–7days were 150.4 ± 36.18 h, 174.2 ± 30.51 mg/dL, and 14,913.2 ± 1633.45 mg*h/dL, respectively. Mean trough concentration at week 8 was 55.4 ± 7.23 mg/dL. Alpha-1 MP therapy was safe, with no serious adverse events or deaths reported. Two treatment-emergent adverse events of fatigue in one subject were considered to be possibly related. Conclusions The PK and safety of Alpha-1 MP in Japanese subjects with AATD were consistent with the Alpha-1 MP profile in non-Japanese subjects (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02870309; JAPIC CTI: JapicCTI-163160).

The Japanese Gastric Cancer Association (JGCA) started a new nationwide gastric cancer registry in 2008. Approximately 50 data items, including surgical procedures, pathological diagnoses, and survival outcomes, for 12004 patients with primary gastric cancer treated in 2001 were collected retrospectively from 187 participating hospitals. Data were entered into the JGCA database according to the JGCA Classification of gastric carcinoma, 13th edition and the International Union Against Cancer (UICC) TNM Classification of malignant tumors, 5th edition by using an electronic data collecting system. Finally, data of 11261 patients with gastric resection were analyzed. The 5-year follow-up rate was 83.5%. The direct death rate was 0.6%. TNM 5-year survival rates (5YSRs)/JGCA 5YSRs were 91.8/91.9% for stage IA, 84.6/85.1% for stage IB, 70.5/73.1% for stage II, 46.6/51.0% for stage IIIA, 29.9/33.4% for stage IIIB, and 16.6/15.8% for stage IV. The proportion of patients more than 80 years old was 7.0%, and their 5YSR was 48.7%. Compared to the JGCA archived data, though the follow-up rate needs to be improved, these data suggest that the postoperative results of patients with primary gastric carcinoma have improved in those with advanced disease and in the aged population in Japan.

Medical lasers used as ophthalmic photocoagulator are briefly reviewed. The author describes some new approaches to develop a novel laser source for these applications, and then discusses future trends and some options for medical applications. At present, the domestic market of laser equipment for medical applications is smaller than that for industrial applications, which has restricted constant growth. In this paper, laser sources for photocoagulation are mainly discussed. Photocoagulators are influenced by the development of laser sources. New applications at extremely high bright orange fiber laser photocoagulators are expected from the perspective of life cycle of new products.

症例は70歳の女性で, 脳梗塞症後の寝たきり状態で介護施設に入所中であったが, 腹痛と腹部膨満を主訴に来院した. 来院時血圧は83/33mmHg, 脈拍88回/分, 体温35.0℃であった.腹部膨満と圧痛を認めたが筋性防御はなかった. 血液生化学検査では白血球増多, CRPの上昇を認めた. 腹部X線検査で腹腔内遊離ガスを, 腹部CTでは腹水と肝両葉の門脈ガス, 小腸壁の肥厚と腸管気腫を認めた. 腸管壊死による消化管穿孔, 汎発性腹膜炎を疑い, 緊急手術を施行した. 手術所見では腸管壊死, 腸管穿孔はなく多量の腹水を認めたのみであった. 腹腔洗浄, 盲腸瘻, 空腸瘻, 胃瘻造設術を施行した. 術後は空腸瘻からの経管栄養により栄養状態も改善し介護施設へ転出となった. 本症例は, 明らかな原因は不明であるが, 便秘による腸管内圧の上昇に伴い, 粘膜損傷部から腸管気腫と門脈ガスを発症し, 漿膜のmicroperforationにより腹腔内遊離ガスが生じたと推測された.

症例は58歳, 女性. 2006年5月に右下腹部痛を主訴に紹介来院した. 腹部超音波, CT, DIC-CTで, 肝S6から肝外に発育した径7cmの嚢胞性腫瘤を指摘された. 嚢胞壁は薄く, 単房性で, 単純性嚢胞の可能性があったが, 有症状であったこと, 肝嚢胞腺腫が否定できなかったことから, 腹腔鏡下に手術を施行し, 完全切除した. 病理組織学的には嚢胞壁は立方円柱上皮からなる肝嚢胞腺腫であった. 一般的に, 肝嚢胞腺腫か腺癌かを術前に診断するのは難しい. また腺腫から癌への移行もあり, 肝嚢胞腺腫自体は良性腫瘍であるが, 悪性腫瘍に準じた完全切除が必要となる. 腹腔鏡下手術は嚢胞の破裂の危険性があり適応は慎重であるべきであり, 本邦での施行例は現在まで極めて稀である. しかし肝外発育型で肝切除の容易なもの, 大きさの小さいものに対しては適応になると思われる. 自験例は鏡視下手術の良い適応であったと思われ, 若干の文献的考察を加え報告する.

症例は54歳, 男性. 腹痛と嘔吐を主訴に来院した. 手術既往歴はなく, 腹部所見では圧痛と軽度の反跳痛を認めたが筋性防御はなかった. 腹部CTで小腸の拡張が著明で内ヘルニアが疑われたが, 症状が軽くイレウス管留置による保存的療法を行った. 連日排液は良好であったがイレウスの改善を認めなかったため, 入院4日目にイレウス管から小腸造影を行った. 左下腹部にループ状の拡張した小腸とその口側, 肛門側の締め付け様の狭窄部が造影された. 腹部CT所見とあわせ, S状結腸間膜ヘルニアを疑い腹腔鏡下手術を施行した. 腹腔鏡下に観察すると, S状結腸間膜左葉に小腸が引き込まれ, 回腸が約4cm嵌入していた. 鉗子によって整復を行い, S状結腸間膜左葉に約3cmのヘルニア門を確認した. ヘルニア門はクリップで縫縮した. 術後経過は良好で術後第12日目に退院となった.

結腸癌術後ダグラス窩腹膜転移に対しpharmacokinetic modulating chemotherapy (PMC)を施行し, 2年経過して根治切除が可能であった1例を経験したので報告する.症例は66歳,男性.平成8年11月上行結腸癌に対し結腸右半切除術を施行(中分化腺癌, se, n2, stage IIIb).平成11年10月CEAの上昇に伴い直腸指診でダグラス窩転移が疑われ,平成12年1月経肛門的に腫瘤生検施行し,高分化腺癌の診断を得た.ダグラス窩腹膜再発に対しPMCを週1回外来通院で施行した. PMCを20カ月施行したところで,腫瘍の増大に伴い直腸RaRbでの腸管狭窄が高度となり,排便障害改善の目的から平成13年10月に開腹術施行.腹膜転移巣と直腸は合併切除可能であり低位前方切除術を施行した. PMCは腹膜再発に対し長期のno change (NC)を得ることができ,人工肛門を回避した根治切除を可能とした.また経過中に有害反応は認められず,再発大腸癌に対してPMCは有効であると考えられた.

Olopatadine hydrochloride (olopatadine, 11-[(Z)-3-(dimethylamino)propylidene]-6,11-dihydrodibenz[b,e]oxepin-2-acetic acid monohydrochloride) is a novel antiallergic/histamine H1-receptor antagonistic drug that was synthesized and evaluated in our laboratories. Oral administration of olopatadine at doses of 0.03 mg/kg or higher inhibited the symptoms of experimental allergic skin responses, rhinoconjunctivitis and bronchial asthma in sensitized guinea pigs and rats. Olopatadine is a selective histamine H1-receptor antagonist possessing inhibitory effects on the release of inflammatory lipid mediators such as leukotriene and thromboxane from human polymorphonuclear leukocytes and eosinophils. Olopatadine also inhibited the tachykininergic contraction in the guinea pig bronchi by prejunctional inhibition of peripheral sensory nerves. Olopatadine exerted no significant effects on action potential duration in isolated guinea pig ventricular myocytes, myocardium and human ether-a-go-go-related gene channel. Olopatadine was highly and rapidly absorbed in healthy human volunteers. The urinary excretion of olopatadine accounted for not less than 58% and the contribution of metabolism was considerably low in the clearance of olopatadine in humans. Olopatadine is one of the few renal clearance drugs in antiallergic drugs. Olopatadine was shown to be useful for the treatment of allergic rhinitis and chronic urticaria in double-blind clinical trials. Olopatadine was approved in Japan for the treatment of allergic rhinitis, chronic urticaria, eczema dermatitis, prurigo, pruritus cutaneous, psoriasis vulgaris and erythema exsudativum multiforme in December, 2000. Ophthalmic solution of olopatadine was also approved in the United States for the treatment of seasonal allergic conjunctivitis in December, 1996 (Appendix: also in the European Union, it was approved in February 2002).

We investigated whether the polycation poly-L-arginine elicited cutaneous vascular hyperpermeability and scratching behavior and, if so, whether these responses involved mast cells and sensory nerves in rats. Intradermal injections of poly-L-arginine induced vascular hyperpermeability and scratching behavior. Combined treatment with chlorpheniramine and methysergide almost completely suppressed the poly-L-arginine (50 microg/site)-induced plasma leakage. Capsaicin desensitization and the tachykinin NK(1) receptor antagonist LY303870, (R)-1-[N-(2-methoxybenzyl)acetylamino]-3-(1H-indol-3-yl)-2-[N-(2-(4-(piperidin-1-yl)piperidin-1-yl)acetyl)amino]propane, partially inhibited the leakage. In mast cell-deficient rats, poly-L-arginine only minimally induced plasma leakage. On the other hand, capsaicin desensitization and LY303870, but not chlorpheniramine or methysergide, suppressed the poly-L-arginine (200 microg/site)-induced scratching. Moreover, poly-L-arginine elicited the scratching even in mast cell-deficient rats. These results suggest that substance P is at least partly involved in both the cutaneous plasma leakage and the scratching behavior induced by poly-L-arginine. Moreover, mast cell-derived amines are suggested to be involved in the plasma extravasation but scarcely, if any, in the scratching behavior.

La0.7Ba0.3MnO3 (LBMO) thin films known to colossal magnetoresistance were deposited for uncooled infrared bolometers. The optimum oxygen pressure was examined in the process of the laser ablated LBMO films, and films were deposited on SrTiO3 (100), LaAlO3 (100) and MgO (100) substrates under the optimum oxygen pressure. The lattice mismatch between these substrates and LBMO films changed the surface structure of films. In X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscope, the LBMO film deposited on SrTiO3 (the LBMO/STO film) showed a high orientation for the substrate, and the grain growth of the LBMO/STO film was progressed. The temperature dependence of resistivity has a good agreement with that of LBMO bulk. In the near-room temperature, the LBMO/STO film showed a high TCR value, about 4%/K. Moreover, TCR values of the LBMO/STO film were over 2%/K from 300K to 335K. On the other hand, LBMO films deposited on LaAlO3 and MgO substrates, having large substrate-film lattice mismatches, showed a low TCR value, below 2%/K, in the near-room temperature.

The effect of erdosteine, a mucoactive drug, on hypochlorous acid (HOCl)-induced lung injury, and the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced increase in tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) production and neutrophil recruitment into the airway, was investigated. Male BALB/c mice were orally administered erdosteine (3–100 mg kg−1), ambroxol hydrochloride (ambroxol) (3–30 mg kg−1), S-carboxymethyl-L-cysteine (S-CMC) (100–600 mg kg−1) or prednisolone (10 mg kg−1), 1h before intratracheal injection of HOC1 or LPS. In the HOCl-injected mice, erdosteine markedly suppressed increases in the ratios of lung wet weight to bodyweight and lung dry weight to bodyweight, whereas the other mucoactive drugs ambroxol and S-CMC had little effect. Erdosteine also inhibited the LPS-induced neutrophil influx, although it did not affect the increased level of TNF-α in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. The results suggest that attenuation of reactive oxygen species and neutrophil recruitment is involved in the clinical efficacy of erdosteine in the treatment of chronic bronchitis.

It is known that local refractive index change occurs when femtosecond laser pulses with extremely high peak power are launched into glass. We focused 130-femtosecond laser pulses of 800 nm into the bulk of glass and examined the shape of the induced refractive index change. We found that the length of the spot of the refractive index change along the optical axis reached about 30 μm despite the diameter being about 2 μm. To estimate the distribution of induced refractive index change, we fabricated Bragg grating by scanning the focused spot and calculated the amount of the change by applying Kogelnik’s coupled mode theory to the measured diffraction efficiencies of the higher order diffracted beams.

It is favorable for the bolometer material used as an uncooled infrared detector device to have large TCR (temperature coefficient of resistance) near room temperature. La1-xCaxMnOz (LCMO) not only shows colossal magnetoresistance, but also has large TCR for the bolometer material. LCMO thin films deposited on LaA103 in several conditions by laser ablation method and were measured their resistivities to estimate TCR and analyzed their mechanism for the oxygen deficiency effect. As a result, we have got thin films which show large TCR by changing oxygen pressure in verger and anneal temperature. The oxygen deficiency effect clarifies to us that it is possible to apply LCMO thin films to bolometer materials.

Abstruct Pattern dynamics in a weakly nonlinear regime near the onset of the electrohydrodynamic instability (EHDI) is experimentally investigated in the homeotropic alignment of nematic liquid crystals, of which morphology is introduced. The wavy, chain and bamboo-chevron patterns are observed in homeotropic samples as new patterns. The Busse balloon is also obtained which is quite different from the conventional balloons in EHDI in planar liquid crystals.

The quantitative experimental study of the Eckhaus instability in one-dimensional systems is carried out, employing electrohydrodynamic convection in a nematic layer. The obtained Busse balloon is in good agreement with that predicted by the Eckhaus theory. However, the observed changes of the wavenumber for unstable roll patterns, caused by the Eckhaus instability, as well as the growth rates for the corresponding spatial modes differ dramatically from those the theory yields for the most unstable Eckhaus modes. Possible reasons for the disagreement are discussed.

The electrohydrodynamic pattern forming instability (EHC) driven by an ac voltage applied to a homeotropically aligned nematic liquid crystal layer is experimentally studied near onset. By controlling an external magnetic field, many different scenarios become accessible. For finite fields various regular convective structures are observed, which we call, for example, wavy, chain, and bamboo-chevron patterns. The various types are documented with the help of a phase diagram governed by the frequency and the strength of the applied ac voltage. In addition the stability regimes in the voltage−wavenumber plane (the “Busse balloon”) are mapped out. One finds significant differences from the conventional planar case, for which a theoretical analysis is lacking so far. For zero magnetic field, on the other hand, no regular structure is observed, even immediately above the onset of EHC. A new spatiotemporally chaotic pattern called the soft mode turbulence directly appears via a supercritical bifurcation from th...

The degradation of the spatial resolution in frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) reflec-tometry due to the nonlinearity in the optical frequency sweep are discussed both experimentally and theoretically. The response lag in the optical frequency change of a laser diode behind the injection current change was experimentally measured, showing that there were several time constants in the optical frequency response. The interference signals in the FMCW reflectometry were theoretically calculated by taking account of the response lag. From these calculations, the beat frequency becomes low just after the turning point of the optical frequency sweep; this is due to the response lag in the optical frequency response. As a result, the spectrum of the interference signal is spread out toward the low frequency region and spatial resolution is degraded. Moreover, the spatial resolution is seriously degraded with increasing the diagnosing distance due to the nonlinearity in the optical frequency sweep. The calculated results agree well with the measured results.

As a method of high-bit-rate optical processing, the TM light injection-induced optical polarization bistability using Fabry-Perot type laser diodes has been experimentally demonstrated and theoretically analyzed. In these studies, although switching times less than 1 ns both for switch-up and switch-down have been reported, both of the TE and TM outputs exhibit longitudinal multimode spectra. In practical processing systems, a dynamically stable operation of the polarization switching is considered to be essential. It is the purpose of this paper to present an analytical study of the TM light injection-induced polarization bistability using a lambda /4-shifted distributed feedback (DFB) laser model and to describe the detailed picture of the mechanism. >

今回われわれは直腸平滑筋腫の1例を経験したので報告する.症例は66歳の女性, 肛門部不快感, 下血を主訴に入院した.注腸造影, 直腸鏡, 骨盤computed tomography, magnetic resonance imagingなどの検査により直腸粘膜下腫瘍 (平滑筋腫疑い) と診断し手術を施行した.全身麻酔下に経仙骨的に腫瘍に達し, 腫瘍を摘出した.摘出標本は4.0×4.0×5.2cmの白色の充実性腫瘍で2.0×3.0×3.0cmのdaughter noduleと一塊になっていた.病理組織学的に平滑筋腫と診断された.直腸平滑筋腫はその良性悪性の鑑別が時に困難で, 悪性化例も報告されており, 慎重な術後経過観察を要するものと思われた.

A simple method for measuring the linewidth enhancement factor alpha of a semiconductor laser by optical injection locking is described. Without knowledge of the absolute values of detuning and the optical injection level, the value of alpha is evaluated from only changes in optical power in the stable optical injection-locking state. The value of alpha of a 0.83-microm channeled substrate planar laser is evaluated to be 2.65 +/- 0.2. The measurement error of this method is also discussed.

金沢大学工学部, The reflection-type delayed self-homodyne (RDSH) method presently described is based on the same principle as the delayed self-homodyne/heterodyne (DSH) method but no beam splitter or fiber coupler is required. The delayed beam is produced by utilizing a round-trip propagation passing through a solitary long optical fiber delay line. Therefore, the optical configuration is very simple, and the beat signal has a resolution twice that of the DSH method. However, the RDSH method's drawback is that a large intensity difference between the two beams reduces the level of the beat signal. This can be improved by increasing the reflectivities of the fiber ends by dielectric coating. In this case, multiple reflection at the fiber ends should be taken into account. An improvement of more than 12 dB is analytically predicted and is experimentally confirmed. A heterodyning scheme of the RDSH method is also presented.

Locking bandwidth and FM noise properties of mutually optical injection-locked semiconductor lasers are described, taking into account an optical delay time between lasers. By introducing a figure of merit of optical injection specifying unilaterality of the optical injection, optical injection-locking systems with an arbitrary inverse optical injection from a slave laser to a master laser can be described adequately. It is found from the analysis that for a short delay time, the locking bandwidth and the FM noise depend on both the round-trip phase angle and the figure of merit of optical injection. In the case of a long delay time, the FM noise and the spectral linewidth are reduced significantly with increasing locking bandwidth. Finally, an undulation similar to that in the external cavity semiconductor laser appears in the FM noise spectrum. The experimental results obtained by using semiconductor lasers emitting at 0.83 μm agree well with the analytical results.

We developed an orange fiber laser as the source for photocoagulation in ophthalmic applications. While the beam quality (M2=1.2) is excellent in comparison with the existing solid state laser (M2=7~8), there is the unfortunate necessity of an additional optical system to make the focusing beam uniform after transmission into the 50μm core diameter multimode fiber used in the existing photocoagulator. The purpose of this paper is to obtain a high luminance spot while maintaining the uniformity of the beam. We used 4.7μm Mode field diameter, single mode fiber (SMF) to focus the laser beam emitted from the developed 580nm orange fiber laser source. A coupling efficiency of 70% was obtained at the input power of 500 mW. Moreover, the beam quality of M2=1.27 was achieved after fiber coupling. No additional optical system was necessary to make the beam uniform owing to the SMF characteristics. As a result, the beam diameter at the irradiation point became 12.2μm, and the power density was calculated to be about 25 times higher than that of the existing photocoagulator. Significantly high luminance beams were obtained in the method described above. If the laser spot can be focused near the diffraction limit using adaptive optics in the future, it can be used in new operative procedures such as microsurgery in the macular region. When this method is used in photocoagulation, improvement in the quality of vision of patients is expected due to minimizing any damage to the retina. The effects of high luminance laser irradiation on pseudobiological tissue will be examined in a future paper.

Recent progress in quasi-phase-matched crystal quartz will be reported. Fine period twinning by mechanical stress application achieved a 12 um twin structure. Milliwatt-level second harmonic generation was demonstrated at 266 nm by 2nd-order QPM.

We demonstrate that one can seize and translate voids formed by IR femtosecond laser pulses inside silica glass and can also cause two voids to merge into one. We also present clear evidence of a void and its surrounding region by showing scanning electron microscope images of cleaved voids, which we produced by cleaving through the glass along a plane that included a thin laser-ablated line on the surface of the glass and the voids formed inside.

The Japanese Gastric Cancer Association Registration Committee reported the treatment results and causes of death of patients with primary gastric cancer treated in 1991 at the leading hospitals in Japan. Data of 8851 patients with primary gastric cancer were collected from 113 hospitals, and data of 7935 patients with gastric resection were finally analyzed. The lost-to-follow-up rate was 6.9%; the direct death rate was 1.0%. The cumulative 5-year survival rate (5YSR) of all the patients was 68.2%; 89.9% for Stage I, 69.1% for Stage II, 43.5% for Stage III, and 9.9% for Stage IV. Characteristic findings of the analyzed data were (1) high proportion of early-stage cancer, (2) high resection rate, (3) low mortality rate, (4) low incidence of upper-third cancer, (5) poor treatment results in cases with scirrhous cancer, infiltrating growth, and marked lymphatic or venous invasion, and (6) predominance of systematic (D2) and extended lymphadenectomies possibly resulting in reducing local recurrence and improving survivals.

金沢大学工学部, We propose a novel method to extend the measurement range of FMCW reflectometry. In this method, an optical loop with a frequency shifter (working frequency fFS Hz) is incorporated in the reference arm of the reflectometry. As a result, the interference signal corresponding to the reference beam that circulates N rounds in the loop appears around (N × fFS) Hz, which means that the signals from different measurement ranges can be detected in different frequency domains. Therefore, it is possible to extend the measurement range. In the experiment, the measurement range is extended from 15 m to 48 m.

Large-scale integration of compact photonic devices may be the key technology for the future information age. If optical-waveguide structures with small radius of curvatures are integrated inside a small glass tip along with active devices, a paradigm of microphotonics inside glass may become possible. We will review the fabrication techniques for the waveguides and photonic-band structures inside glass with the ultrashort laser pulses and present our recent results of fabrication experiments. The experimental studies include fabrication of birefringent waveguides, formation of small vacancies called voids, and drilling of a narrow but long hole from the rear side of a glass. We will show the birefringence properties of waveguides that are induced by the lienarly-polarized ultrashort laser pulses of approximately 100 fs duration. Birefringence of the waveguides depends on the polarization states of the fabrication beam. The experimental studies on the stabilities of a void during the fabrication process are also presented. We will show that the voids move during the fabrication process although the beam and sample are fixed. It will be shown that the void moves from pulse to pulse toward the upstream direction along the optical axis. We can currently drill a long hole of more than 200 microns with a diameter of several microns. We also present the results of numerical analysis of optical propagation through photonic structures that are based on the array of voids.

Many researchers have investigated the interaction of femtosecond laser pulses with a wide variety of materials. The structural modifications both on the surface and inside the bulk of transparent materials have been demonstrated. When femtosecond laser pulses are focused into glasses with a high numerical-aperture objective, voids are formed. We demonstrate that one can seize and move voids formed by femtosecond laser pulses inside silica glass and also merge two voids into one. We also present clear evidence that a void is a cavity by showing a scanning-electron-microscope image of cleft voids: we clove through the glass along a plane that includes the laser-ablated thin line on the surface and the voids formed inside. The optical seizing and merging of voids are important basic techniques for fabricate micro-optical dynamic devices, such as the rewritable 3-D optical storage.

High resolution FMCW reflectometry by the maximum entropy method is described. The spatial resolution is improved by a factor of 4 as compared with that by the Fourier analysis

Since perovskite manganese oxide Bi–La–Sr–Mn–O (BLSMO) has a large temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR: defined as 1/R dR/dT) of above 3%/K, it has been considered to be a suitable candidate for use as an uncooled IR bolometer material. We fabricated a single pixel device of the BLSMO microbolometer and evaluated it. The BLSMO film was deposited by RF magnetron sputtering at ambient temperature in an oxygen atmosphere. The film showed the TCR of 3.1%/K at room temperature. The size of the single pixel device is 38×38 µm2. To achieve high infrared absorption, the detector contains an infrared absorbing membrane with a high fill factor of 90%. In a vacuum, the detector showed a thermal conductance of 1.3×10-7 W/K and a responsivity of 4.8×105 V/W. According to these numerical values, a noise equivalent temperature difference (NETD) of the BLSMO microbolometer was estimated as being about 0.1 K with f/1.0 optics.

We describe experimental results of loss measurement in optical waveguide devices by coherent frequency-modulated continuous-wave reflectometry composed of a frequency-swept semiconductor laser and a two-beam interferometer. The backscattered light in a potassium-ion-exchanged single-mode optical waveguide is successfully detected, and the loss along the optical waveguide is evaluated to be 1.0 dB/cm.

A detection scheme of coherence multiplexed sensor signals by using an optical loop incorporating a frequency shifter is proposed and demonstrated. The sensor signals are frequency-multiplexed, and consequently, the numbers of the receiving interferometers and the photodetectors can be reduced.

In order to improve the sensitivity of a fiber-optic polarimetric sensor, a new scheme utilizing a birefringent fiber loop with midloop frequency shifters is proposed. In this scheme, heterodyne signals with an integral multiple-phase sensitivity can be obtained in the frequency domain. The validity of the scheme is confirmed experimentally by a bulk-optic configuration. One-order-of-magnitude improvement in sensitivity without changing the dynamic range is expected from the calculation of the signal-to-noise ratio, even in the case of a 40% excess loss in the optical loop.

Characteristics are described of a novel probe sensitive to the amplitude and phase of the radio-frequency magnetic field which is composed of a laser diode linked with a small loop antenna, an optical fiber, and a phase-sensitive detection instrument. The probe is highly sensitive and is radio-frequency interference free. The minimum detectable radio-frequency magnetic field is 10 μA/cm (38 nW/cm2in power density).

The process of annihilation of two point defects with opposite topological charges in a roll pattern is discussed for electrohydrodynamic convection in a nematic layer. It is shown that at the final stage of the process the distance between the centers of defects which are being annihilated varies as the square root of the time, down-counted from the annihilation moment. Such a scaling is associated with topological properties of the slowly varying complex amplitude of the order parameter and is suggested as a generic law for annihilation or spontaneous, barrierless nucleation of pairs of defects in extended systems. Experimental evidence of the scaling in the case of electrohydrodynamic convection in MBBA is obtained.

For measuring spectral linewidth of semiconductor lasers, a reflection-type delayed self-homodyne method using a solitary monomode fibre is described. The special features are an extremely simple optical configuration and its excellent long term stability.

To improve the sensitivity or dynamic range of fibre-optic interferometer systems a new scheme utilising two optical loops is presented. The validity of the scheme is also experimentally confirmed by a tentative bulk-optic configuration.