Power Tapping Function in Near Infra-Red Region Based on 45°Tilted Fiber Gratings

We report an efficient power tapping device working in near infra-red (800 nm) wavelength region based on UV-in- scribed 45° tilted fiber grating (45°-TFG) structure. Five 45°-TFGs were UV-inscribed in hydrogenated PS750 fiber using a custom-designed phase mask with different grating lengths of 3 mm, 5 mm, 9 mm, 12 mm and 15 mm, showing polarization dependent losses (PDLs) of 1 dB, 3 dB, 7 dB, 10 dB and 13 dB, respectively. The power side-tapping efficiency is clearly depending on the grating strength. It has been identified that the power tapping efficiency increases with the grating strength and deceases along the grating length. The side-tapped power profile has also been examined in azimuthal direction, showing a near-Gaussian distribution. These experimental results clearly demonstrated that 45°- TFGs may be used as in-fiber power tapping devices for applications requiring in-line signal monitoring.

Citron C-05 inhibits both the penetration and colonization of Xanthomonas citri subsp.citri to achieve resistance to citrus canker disease

Citrus canker,caused by Xanthomonas citri subsp.citri(Xcc),is a serious bacterial disease that affects citrus production worldwide.Citron C-05(Citrus medica)is the only germplasm in the Citrus genus that has been identified to exhibit strong resistance to Xcc.However,it has not been determined when,where,and how Xcc is restricted in the tissues of Citron C-05 during the infection process.In the present study,we investigated the spatiotemporal growth dynamics of an eGFP-labeled virulent Xcc(eGFP-Xcc)strain in Citron C-05 along with five susceptible biotypes(i.e.,lemon,pummelo,sour orange,sweet orange,and ponkan mandarin)upon inoculation via the spraying or leaf infiltration of a bacterial suspension.The results from extensive confocal laser scanning microscopy analyses showed that while Xcc grew rapidly in plants of all five susceptible genotypes,Xcc was severely restricted in the epidermal and mesophyll cell layers of the leaves of Citron C-05 in the early stage of infection.Not surprisingly,resistance against Xcc in Citron C-05 was found to be associated with the production of reactive oxygen species and hypersensitive response-like cell death,as well as greater upregulation of several defense-related genes,including a pathogenesis-related gene(PR1)and a glutathione S-transferase gene(GST1),compared with sweet orange as a susceptible control.Taken together,our results not only provide further valuable details of the spatiotemporal dynamics of the host entry,propagation,and spread of Xcc in both resistant and susceptible citrus plants but also suggest that resistance to Xcc in Citron C-05 may be attributed to the activation of multiple defense mechanisms.

A New Immunosuppressive Protein in Pig Spleen

Chronic stress has been the popular phenomenon in the modern society. But we have not yet resolved the problem effectively. A novel protein in pig spleen, which possesses immunosuppressive activity, has been purified in this study. Its molecular weight about 200 kDa and three subunits composition were fractionated by SDS-PAGE. The protein inhibited mouse T-lymphocyte proliferation by the induced concanavalin A (ConA) and regulatory volume decrease (RVD), which may be due to the decreased Kv1.3 expression and activity. In addition, we have raised successfully its polyclonal antibody, which could reverse the inhibited lymphocyte proliferation by the immuno-suppressive protein. And the antibody could be used to coat plate for ELISA assay. Therefore, the antibody will have the potential to provide a basis for applying to clinical stress diseases in the future.

Functional polymer passivatingFA_(0.85)PEA_(0.15)SnI_(3) for efficient and stable lead-free perovskite solar cells

Due to their excellent advantages such as low toxicity,superior optoelectronic properties,low-temperature fabrication,and costeffectiveness,Sn-based perovskites have become the most promising alternatives for high performance lead-free perovskite solar cells.However,the character of Sn ^(2+)is easily oxidized toSn ^(4+),causing unnecessary p-type self-doping and high leakage current.More seriously,trap-induced non-radiative recombination from rapid crystallization causes into large energy loss with a low open circuit voltage.Therefore,the Sn-based solar cells have efficiency far behind the Pb-based solar cells.Herein,the polymer poly(ethylene glycol)diacrylate(PEGDA)is used to control crystal growth and passivate the defects in FA_(0.85)PEA_(0.15)SnI_(3) thin film.This Sn-perovskite layer shows compact crystal with large grain size and reduced defects.Optimized perovskite thin film is further processed to fabricate the inverted solar cell with device structure of ITO(indium tin oxide)/PEDOT:PSS(Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/poly(styrenesulfonate))/FA_(0.85)PEA_(0.15)SnI_(3)/ICBA(indene-C60 bisadduct)/BCP(bathocuproine)/Ag,which shows the power conversion efficiency(PCE)of 11.45%with voltage of 0.82 V.Moreover,corresponding perovskite solar cells exhibit an enhanced stability due to PEGDA induced compressive strain in perovskite.This work could shed light on one of successful attempts to improve Sn-based solar cell efficiency for sustainable energy conversion.

Highly-coherent second-harmonic generation in a chip-scale source

A highly efficient second-harmonic source is integrated into a silicon nitride microring resonator,unlocking the potential for advanced chip-scale devices such as miniaturized atomic clocks and fully integrated self-referenced microcombs.

2080 nm long-wavelength, high-power dissipative soliton resonance in a dumbbell-shaped thulium-doped fiber laser

We demonstrate a 2080 nm long-wavelength mode-locked thulium(Tm)-doped fiber laser operating in the dissipative soliton resonance(DSR) regime. The compact all-fiber dumbbell-shaped laser is simply constructed by a 50/50 fiber loop mirror(FLM), a 10/90 FLM, and a piece of large-gain Tm-doped double-clad fiber pumped by a 793 nm laser diode. The 10/90 FLM is not only used as an output mirror, but also acts as a periodical saturable absorber for initiating DSR mode locking. The stable DSR pulses are generated at the center wavelength as long as 2080.4 nm, and the pulse duration can be tunable from 780 to 3240 ps as the pump power is increased. The maximum average output power is 1.27 W, corresponding to a pulse energy of 290 nJ and a nearly constant peak power of 93 W. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the longest wavelength for DSR operation in a mode-locked fiber laser.

Visible Raman and Brillouin lasers from a microresonator/ZBLAN-fiber hybrid system

Raman and Brillouin lasers based on a high-quality(high-Q) whispering gallery mode microresonator(WGMR)are usually achieved by employing a tunable single-frequency laser as a pump source. Here, we experimentally demonstrate visible Raman and Brillouin lasers using a compact microresonator/ZrF4-BaF2-LaF3-AlF3-NaF(ZBLAN)-fiber hybrid system by incorporating a WGMR with a fiber-compatible distributed Bragg reflector/fiber Bragg grating to form a Fabry–Perot(F-P) fiber cavity and using a piece of Pr:ZBLAN fiber as gain medium.The high-Q silica-microsphere not only offers a Rayleigh-scattering-induced backreflection to form the ~635 nm red laser oscillation in the F-P fiber cavity, but also provides a nonlinear gain in the WGMR itself to generate either stimulated Raman scattering or stimulated Brillouin scattering. Up to six-order cascaded Raman lasers at0.65 μm, 0.67 μm, 0.69 μm, 0.71 μm, 0.73 μm, and 0.76 μm are achieved, respectively. Moreover, a Brillouin laser at 635.54 nm is clearly observed. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first demonstration of visible microresonator-based lasers created by combining a Pr:ZBLAN fiber. This structure can effectively extend the laser wavelength in the WGMR to the visible waveband and may find potential applications in underwater communication, biomedical diagnosis, microwave generation, and spectroscopy.