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Metamaterial absorbers (MAs) serve as important electromagnetic wave-absorbing devices that have captured the attention of researchers for a long term. Functioning as sensitive detectors to determine perturbations in an ambient environment is another significant subsidiary function. Here, we theoretically propose an optimized fabrication method to implement terahertz MAs with fewer steps and also evaluate both absorption and sensing performances of such MAs realized by the new method. Simulation findings demonstrate that such MAs can basically maintain the original absorption features perfectly, including near-complete absorption at resonance as well as strong robustness to wide incident angles. Specifically, the full width at half-maximum and quality factor of the absorption resonances attenuate less than 26% and 8% with this new method, remaining in the ranges of ∼ 0.03 – 0.04 THz and ∼ 20 – 27 for two selected example MAs. More significantly, sensing capacities of this type of MA, in terms of maximum detection range (enhancing at least 9%), observable spectral modulation (increasing at least 6.3%), and refractive index sensitivity, are improved to a large extent because of more intense coupling between resonant field and matter in the case of surface-relief MAs. This stronger coupling results from exposing more spots of the resonantly high field to direct contact with an approaching analyte, which is illustrated by field profiles of the MAs at resonance in this work. Additionally, other desirable absorber features are also explored with such MAs, like functioning as building blocks to configure multiband MAs and strong robustness against fabrication errors. Such new-style terahertz MAs shown in the paper, acting as good examples, not only prove that terahertz MAs can be fabricated by the proposed time- and cost-saving route in contrast to the traditional MA fabrication process, but also can serve as novel platforms to explore other intriguing terahertz photonic effects, such as the field enhancement effect.

We propose and demonstrate a four-wavelength-switchable erbium-doped fiber laser (4WS-EDFL) with a four-channel superimposed high-birefringence fiber Bragg grating (SI-HBFBG) and a dual-coupler ring based compound-cavity (DCR-CC) filter. Both for the first time, a SI-HBFBG as a four-channel reflective filter is used in a multi-wavelength switchable fiber laser to define wavelength channels and a DCR-CC filter is used to select a single mode from dense longitudinal-modes in a fiber laser. We present in detail how to design, fabricate, and characterize the DCR-CC filter with both theoretical analysis and experimental results, which we believe is the first systematic approach for making a compound-cavity based filter used for selecting single-longitudinal mode (SLM) in a fiber laser. The enhanced polarization hole burning effect in a 2.9 m long erbium-doped fiber, coiled inside a three-loop polarization controller, and the polarization-mismatch-induced losses are introduced into the laser cavity to achieve wavelength-switching operations. We show that the 4WS-EDFL can be switched among fifteen lasing states, including four single-wavelength operations, six dual-wavelength operations, four three-wavelength operations and one four-wavelength operation, all with high stability. For demonstration, in switchable single-wavelength operations, the four SLM lasing outputs measured are all with an optical signal to noise ratio of >80 dB, a linewidth of

A continuous wave (CW) wavelength-tunable Tm3+-doped fiber laser with two sampled fiber Bragg gratings (SFBGs) has been proposed and demonstrated. This proposed laser is stable operating with a significant 14.44 nm wavelength range from 1942.09 nm to 1956.53 nm due to the Vernier effect. The laser OSNRs of different wavelengths ranged from 45 dB to 58 dB at a launched pump power of 3.67 W. The wavelength shift and power fluctuation were less than 0.03 nm and 0.46 dB, respectively. An 8.62% slope efficiency was achieved using a grating for laser extracting. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first time that a wavelength-tunable Tm3+-doped fiber laser with two SFBGs has been demonstrated.

Over the course of a school year, a high school biology class and a local watershed partnership worked together to design a study to determine the willingness to pay for ecosystem service restoration in a local degraded watershed. With research control given to the teacher and her classroom as part of their in-class honors biology curriculum, the result was a student designed/written, and professionally structured, research manuscript. The aim of this collaboration was to: (1) integrate quantitative social science into the K–12 science curriculum to foster learning about the nature of social science investigation in a real world context; (2) create a community-based science partnership; and (3) generate social science data useful for decision-making that could withstand scientific peer review. In this commentary, we present the written product of the classrooms' work to illustrate the type of information that can be generated by a participatory science education program, along with a reflection from the students and project researchers about opportunities and barriers to conducting authentic social science research in K–12 classrooms.

Linewidth measurement based on phase noise analysis using a 3 × 3 coupler has been applied in the 1550 nm band. One of the obvious advantages of this method compared with the common delayed self-heterodyne method is the low loss caused by the short delay line used. Taking full advantage of this particular characteristic, the linewidth of the single frequency (SF) fiber laser in the 2 μm band can also be measured. However, a specifically experimental demonstration of this method in the 2 μm band is absent to date. In this paper, a high-performance SF thulium-doped fiber laser (TDFL) was proposed and employed for the demonstration. The TDFL operates at the center wavelength of 1942.03 nm with high stability. By means of the phase noise analysis-based linewidth measurement system with a fiber delay line of only 50 m, the linewidth of the proposed TDFL is successfully measured. When the measuring time is 0.001 s, the linewidth is ~47 kHz. Furthermore, the noise characteristics of the SF laser were simultaneously studied by this method.

The immunoproteasome is an inducible host mechanism that aids in the clearance of damaged proteins. The immunoproteasome also influences immune function by enhancing peptide presentation by MHC class I and promotes inflammation via IκB degradation and activation of NF-κB. We used mouse adenovirus type 1 (MAV-1) to characterize the role of the immunoproteasome in adenovirus pathogenesis. Following intranasal infection of mice, immunoproteasome activity in the heart and lung was significantly increased in an IFN-γ-dependent manner. Absence of the β5i immunoproteasome subunit and pharmacological inhibition of β5i activity had minimal effects on viral replication, virus-induced cellular inflammation, or induction of cytokine expression. Likewise, the establishment of protective immunity following primary infection was not significantly altered by β5i deficiency. Thus, although immunoproteasome activity is robustly induced during acute infection with MAV-1, our data suggest that other mechanisms are capable of compensating for immunoproteasome activity to maintain antiviral immunity and appropriate inflammatory responses.

Optical fiber devices and applications in the 2-μm band have been investigated extensively due to its unique advantages, such as eye safety. A fiber sensor based on tilted fiber Bragg grating with a grating plane angle of 2 deg is fabricated and experimentally tested. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first tilted fiber Bragg grating sensor to realize simultaneous measurements of temperature, axial strain, and a certain range of surrounding refractive index (SRI) at the 2-μm band. This paper uses the wavelength detection method and selects three independent resonant wavelengths as the investigated parameters. Results show that perturbations of temperature, axial strain, and SRI can shift the wavelengths of the core mode resonance and cladding mode resonance to some degree. The temperature sensitivities of the core mode and cladding mode are nearly the same, but their axial-strain sensitivities are different. Furthermore, the core mode is insensitive to the change in SRI. The sensitivities of SRI, temperature, and strain can thus be obtained by experimentally determining the wavelength shifts of the three independent resonance peaks. A 3 × 3 matrix containing the relationship coefficients between the disturbances of temperature, axial strain, and SRI and wavelength shifts is constructed. By reversely solving the matrix equation, variations in temperature, strain, and SRI can be obtained using the experimental determination of wavelength drifts.

The linewidth performance of all-fiber, linear-cavity Fabry–Perot structures based on fiber Bragggratings operating at 2-μm band has been investigated numerically. The output linewidth performance oftwo symmetrical and asymmetrical cavities has been theoretically studied and comprehensively compared.The numerical analysis is based on the transmission matrix method with the simplified parameters. The sim-ulationresultsshowthatcavitylengths,cavitylengthsratio,gratinglengths,gratinglengthsratio,aswellasindexmodulationdepths, affectthe outputlinewidthperformance. Thetoleranceability ofthe asymmetricalstructure isfirst proposed and investigated under 1 mm accuracy, and single-frequency output can be realized by properlyadjusting the properties of the proposed composite linear cavity structure. © 2017 Society of Photo-Optical InstrumentationEngineers (SPIE) [DOI: 10.1117/1.OE.56.5.056107] Keywords: 2-μm band; fiber Bragg grating; linear cavity; narrow linewidth.Paper 170162 received Feb. 4, 2017; accepted for publication May 8, 2017; published online May 23, 2017.

This work aimed to evaluate pharmacokinetics, biodistribution, toxicity, and antitumor activities of a highly stable long-/medium-chain triglycerides (LCT/MCT)-based etoposide parenteral emulsion (EPE) in comparison to etoposide parenteral solution (EPS).Using high-pressure homogenization method, EPE was prepared and sterilized at 121°C for 10 min by autoclaving. The biological samples were analyzed using the UPLC-ESI-MS/MS method.Superior stability of EPE was verified with no significant changes in physicochemical properties in the accelerating and long-term stability tests. Similar pharmacokinetic behavior in beagle dogs was obtained and the AUC 0 - 12h values were 1196.73 ± 320.85 and 1505.56 ± 617.93 µg.h/L for EPE and EPS (p0.5), respectively. Likewise, no remarkable difference in biodistribution profiles in mice was found for both formulations. Safety assessment studies including hemolysis test, rabbit ear vein test and injection anaphylaxis were undertaken and the EPE was proven to be safe for intravenous administration. Specifically, after consecutive 12 weeks administration in rats, systematic and local toxicity induced by EPE were alleviated relative to that of EPS. Furthermore, significant and comparable antitumor activities to EPS were also demonstrated by EPE with tumor suppression rate (TSR) of 66.63, 55.94, and 60.16% against H460, Hep G2, and BCAP-37 human cancer cell lines in nude mice at the dose of 15 mg/kg, respectively.These results suggest that this LCT/MCT-based lipid emulsion is a promising alternative intravenous carrier for etoposide with high stability, improved convenience, alleviated toxicity, and noncompromised antitumor efficacy.

A mode-locked thulium-doped fiber laser (TDFL) based on nonlinear polarization rotation (NPR) with different net anomalous dispersion is demonstrated. When the cavity dispersion is −1.425 ps2, the noise-like (NL) pulse with coherence spike width of 406 fs and pulse energy of 12.342 nJ is generated at a center wavelength of 2003.2 nm with 3 dB spectral bandwidth of 23.20 nm. In the experimental period of 400 min, the 3 dB spectral bandwidth variation, the output power fluctuation, and the central wavelength shift are less than 0.06 nm, 0.04 dB, and 0.4 nm, respectively, indicating that the NPR-based TDFL operating in the NL regime holds good long-term stability.

A passively mode-locked thulium-doped fiber laser (TDFL) based on a nonlinear amplifying loop mirror (NALM) is presented. By adjusting the polarization controllers, stable noise-like (NL) mode-locked femtosecond pulse operation is obtained at the 2 μm band. In the experimental period of 200 min, the output power fluctuation is less than 0.06 dB and the 3 dB spectral bandwidth variation is less than 0.02 nm, indicating that the pulsed TDFL possesses good long-term stability. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first 2 μm band NALM-based TDFL with small net anomalous dispersion for a NL femtosecond pulse. At the maximum pump power of 3.52 W, the emitting laser has a NL pulse width of 460 fs, the repetition rate of 9.1 MHz, and the NL pulse energy of 32.72 nJ.