Dual-channel fiber-optic surface plasmon resonance sensor with cascaded coaxial dual-waveguide D-type structure and microsphere structure

To address the restriction of fiber-optic surface plasmon resonance(SPR) sensors in the field of multi-sample detection, a novel dual-channel fiber-optic SPR sensor based on the cascade of coaxial dual-waveguide D-type structure and microsphere structure is proposed in this paper. The fiber sidepolishing technique converts the coaxial dual-waveguide fiber into a D-type one, and the evanescent wave in the ring core leaks, generating a D-type sensing region;the fiber optic fused ball push technology converts the coaxial dual waveguides into microspheres, and the stimulated cladding mode evanescent wave leaks, producing the microsphere sensing region. By injecting light into the coaxial dual-waveguide middle core alone, the sensor can realize single-stage sensing in the microsphere sensing area;it can also realize dual-channel sensing in the D-type sensing area and microsphere sensing area by injecting light into the ring core. The refractive index measurement ranges for the two channels are 1.333–1.365 and 1.375–1.405, respectively, with detection sensitivities of 981.56 nm/RIU and 4138 nm/RIU. The sensor combines wavelength division multiplexing and space division multiplexing technologies, presenting a novel research concept for multi-channel fiber SPR sensors.

Thermal integrity profiling of cast-in-situ piles in sand using fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing

Defects in cast-in-situ piles have an adverse impact on load transfer at the pile‒soil interface and pile bearing capacity. In recent years, thermal integrity profiling (TIP) has been developed to measure temperature profiles of cast-in-situ piles, enabling the detection of structural defects or anomalies at the early stage of construction. However, using this integrity testing method to evaluate potential defects in cast-in-situ piles requires a comprehensive understanding of the mechanism of hydration heat transfer from piles to surrounding soils. In this study, small-scale model tests were conducted in laboratory to investigate the performance of TIP in detecting pile integrity. Fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing (DTS) technology was used to monitor detailed temperature variations along model piles in sand. Additionally, sensors were installed in sand to measure water content and matric suction. An interpretation method against available DTS-based thermal profiles was proposed to reveal the potential defective regions. It shows that the temperature difference between normal and defective piles is more obvious in wet sand. In addition, there is a critical zone of water migration in sand due to the water absorption behavior of cement and temperature transfer-induced water migration in the early-age concrete setting. These findings could provide important insight into the improvement of the TIP testing method for field applications.

The"4+4"Medical Doctor(MD)Pilot Program at PUMC:Implementation,Performance,and Prospects

Peking Union Medical College(PUMC)launched the"4+4"Medical Doctor(MD)pilot program in 2018,admitting students with non-medical backgrounds from top universities,aligning with national medical talent training policies to foster diverse and eager learners in medicine.On the occasion of the graduation of the first class of the"4+4"MD pilot class at PUMC in 2023,we reviewed the teaching reform in the pilot program and carried out a systematic survey and interviews with students,faculties,and management staff of the pilot class.This article reports on the measures taken by the pilot class at PUMC in enrollment and curriculum setting,and demonstrates the achievements of the pilot class in terms of student academic background structure,knowledge acquisition and skill learning,scientific research ability,and course evaluation.The results indicated that the pilot class had met the national demand for the"Medicine+X"talent training model.More specifically,with a diverse academic backgrounds,the pilot class graduates had academic levels comparable to the eight-year medical education graduates,and their scientific research abilities were satisfactory.The pilot program at PUMC will optimize the curriculum setting,strengthen the construction of faculty,learning resources,and teaching facilities,and reform the academic evaluation methods,thus deepening the reform of medical education and improving the"4+4"MD program as a novel medical education model.

Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes Following Cryotherapy, Thermal Ablation and Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure for Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia Treatment: A Pilot Study among Zambian Women

Background: Cervical Intraepithelial neoplasia treatments have become essential interventions to manage cervical lesions. Majority of the recipients of these treatments are women within the reproductive age group, who according to literature may be at risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. This pilot study is part of a study investigating adverse pregnancy outcomes among women who received Cryotherapy, Thermal ablation and Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure compared to the untreated women in Zambia. Materials and Methods: This descriptive study analyzed records of 886 (n = 443 treated and n = 443 untreated) women aged 15 - 49 years. The women were either screened with Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid or treated for Cervical Intraepithelial neoplasia at the Adult Infectious Disease Centre between January 2010 and December 2020. Women meeting the criteria were identified using the Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid screening records and telephone interviews to obtain the adverse pregnancy outcome experienced. Data were analysed using STATA version 16 to determine the prevalence and obtain frequency distribution of outcomes of interest. Univariate and multivariable binary logistic regression estimated odds of adverse pregnancy outcomes across the three treatments. Results: The respondents were aged 15 to 49 years. Adverse pregnancy outcomes were observed to be more prevalent in the treatment group (18.5%) compared to the untreated group (5.4%). Normal pregnancy outcomes were lower in the treated (46.3%;n = 443) than the untreated (53.7%;n = 443). The treated group accounted for the majority of abortions (85.2%), prolonged labour (85.7%) and low birth weight (80%), whereas, the untreated accounted for the majority of still births (72.7%). Women treated with cryotherapy (aOR = 2.43, 95% CI = 1.32 - 4.49, p = 0.004), thermal ablation (aOR = 6.37, 95% CI = 0.99 - 41.2, p = 0.052) and Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure (aOR = 9.67, 95% CI = 2.17 - 43.1, p = 0.003) had two-, six- and ten-times higher odds of adverse pregnancy outcomes respectively, relative to women who required no treatment. Conclusion: Adverse pregnancy outcomes are prevalent among women who have received treatment in Zambia. The findings indicate that treating Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia has been linked to higher chances of experiencing abortion, delivering low birth weight babies and enduring prolonged labor that may result in a caesarean section delivery. Cervical neoplasia treatments, particularly Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure, are associated with significantly increased odds of adverse pregnancy outcomes. It is essential to include information about prior Cervical Intraepithelial neoplasia treatment outcomes in obstetric care.

The Tenth Anniversary of Free Trade Pilot Zones in China:Fundamental Experiences and Enhancement Strategies

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China,the country has established 21 Free Trade Pilot Zones(FTZs),achieving significant pioneering results in reform and opening up and creating a strong demonstrative effect nationwide.The basic experience from a decade of FTZs includes:adhering to the centralized and unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee;combining top-level design with encouragement of grassroots innovation;leveraging the distinct characteristics and strengths of FTZs to form a differentiated development pattern;maintaining the integration of opening up with domestic reforms;using openness to drive reforms;and organically combining openness with national security assurance.Under the current and future new circumstances,China’s FTZs face new challenges and tasks.In accordance with the directives of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China,an enhancement strategy for the FTZs needs to be implemented.This involves the following:First,accurately understanding and responding to the changing situation to create strategic opportunities.Second,shifting paradigms to implement innovation-driven strategies,using the new development pattern concept to guide the reform experiments and construction of the FTZs.Third,granting more autonomy to FTZs for reforms,pursuing progress while maintaining stability,and solidly advancing the reform experiments in the FTZs.Fourth,orderly expanding the opening up of the service sector and cautiously advancing the internationalization of the renminbi.Fifth,promoting innovative development in trade to build a strong trade nation.Sixth,establishing synergy with bilateral FTZs,Belt and Road cooperation,and national diplomatic strategies to enhance the linkage effect.

Ultrasonic sensitivity-improved fiber-optic Fabry-Perot interferometer using a beam collimator and its application for ultrasonic imaging of seismic physical models

An ultrasonic sensitivity-improved fiber-optic Fabry-Perot interferometer （FPI） is proposed and employed for ultra- sonic imaging of seismic physical models （SPMs）. The FPI comprises a flexible ultra-thin gold film and the end face of a graded-index multimode fiber （MMF）, both of which are enclosed in a ceramic tube. The MMF in a specified length can collimate the diverged light beam and compensate for the light loss inside the air cavity, leading to an increased spectral fringe visibility and thus a steeper spectral slope. By using the spectral sideband filtering technique, the collimated FP1 shows an improved ultrasonic response. Moreover, two-dimensional images of two SPMs are achieved in air by recon- structing the pulse-echo signals through using the time-of-flight approach. The proposed sensor with easy fabrication and compact size can be a good candidate for high-sensitivity and high-precision nondestructive testing of SPMs.

Monitoring the hydrolyzation of aspirin during the dissolution testing for aspirin delayed-release tablets with a fiber-optic dissolution system

The purpose of this study was to investigate the hydrolyzation of aspirin during the process of dissolution testing for aspirin delayed-release tablets. Hydrolysis product of salicylic acid can result in adverse effects and affect the determination of dissolution rate assaying. In this study, the technique of differential spectra was employed, which made it possible to monitor the dissolution testing in situ. The results showed that the hydrolyzation of aspirin made the percentage of salicylic acid exceed the limit of free salicylic acid （4.0）, and the hydrolyzation may affect the quality detection of aspirin delayed-release tablets.

Debonding Patch Detection in FRP-Strengthened Materials with Fiber-Optic Interferometer

The interfacial debonding in fiber-reinforced plastic(FRP)strengthened repair material will affect the bonding strength and lead to failure of the repair without warning.Unfortunately the interfacial damage is normally invisible and often in the form of a patch rather than a through-width crack.Therefore,a debonding patch detection technique based on fiber optic interferometry is proposed.A quasi-impulse loading is applied with a rubberhead hammer and the total elongation of a surface-mounted optical fiber along the length of the repair material is measured as a function of load position.When a debonding patch is present,the induced sudden slope or sign change on the plot of fiber integral strain v.s.load position will reveal the extent and the location of the debonded area.The results of the study indicate that the proposed technique is applicable for debonding patch detection in repaired members under various support conditions.

A Design of High-precision High-Voltage Fiber-Optic Analog Signal Isolation Converter

This paper introduces a design of high-precision high-voltage fiber-optic analog sig-nal isolation converter based on the technology of Voltage-to-Frequency (V/F) and Frequency-to-Voltage (F/V) conversion. It describes the principle, system configuration and hardware design.

Using Brillouin fiber-optic ring laser to provide base station with uplink optical carrier in a 10 GHz radio over fiber system

In this paper, a 10 GHz radio over fiber system is analyzed. The Brillouin fiber-optic ring laser is used in the center station （CS） to suppress the optical carrier for the modulation depth enhancement. Simultaneously, the Stockes wave induced by the Brillouin amplification injects and locks the Fabry-Perot （FP） laser to output a signal-mode optical source, which works as the uplink optical carrier.

Experimental Measurements of the Sensitivity of Fiber-optic Bragg Grating Sensors with a Soft Polymeric Coating under Mechanical Loading,Thermal and Magnetic under Cryogenic Conditions

The strain and temperature sensing performance of fiber-optic Bragg gratings （FBGs） with soft polymeric coating, which can be used to sense internal strain in superconducting coils, are evaluated under variable cryogenic field and magnetic field. The response to a temperature and strain change of coated-soft polymeric FBGs is tested by comparing with those of coated-metal FBGs. The results indicate that the coated-soft polymeric FBGs can freely detect temperature and thermal strain, their At variable magnetic field, the tested results indicate accuracy and repeatability are also discussed in detail. that the cross-coupling effects of FBGs with different matrixes are not negligible to measure electromagnetic strain during fast excitation. The present results are expected to be able to provide basis measurements on the strain of pulsed superconducting magnet/cable （cable- around-conduit conductors, cable-in-conduit conductors）, independently or utilized together with other strain measurement methods.

Review of Fiber-optic Distributed Acoustic Sensing Technology

A distributed optical-fiber acoustic sensor is an acoustic sensor that uses the optical fiber itself as a photosensitive medium,and is based on Rayleigh backscattering in an optical fiber.The sensor is widely used in the safety monitoring of oil and gas pipelines,the classification of weak acoustic signals,defense,seismic prospecting,and other fields.In the field of seismic prospecting,distributed optical-fiber acoustic sensing(DAS)will gradually replace the use of the traditional geophone.The present paper mainly expounds the recent application of DAS,and summarizes recent research achievements of DAS in resource exploration,intrusion monitoring,pattern recognition,and other fields and various DAS system structures.It is found that the high-sensitivity and long-distance sensing capabilities of DAS play a role in the extensive monitoring applications of DAS in engineering.The future application and development of DAS technology are examined,with the hope of promoting the wider application of the DAS technology,which benefits engineering and society.

Low PAPR Channel Estimation for OTFS with Scattered Superimposed Pilots

Orthogonal time frequency space(OTFS)modulation has been proven to be superior to traditional orthogonal frequency division multiplexing(OFDM)systems in high-speed communication scenarios.However,the existing channel estimation schemes may results in poor peak to average power ratio(PAPR)performance of OTFS system or low spectrum efficiency.Hence,in this paper,we propose a low PAPR channel estimation scheme with high spectrum efficiency.Specifically,we design a multiple scattered pilot pattern,where multiple low power pilot symbols are superimposed with data symbols in delay-Doppler domain.Furthermore,we propose the placement rules for pilot symbols,which can guarantee the low PAPR.Moreover,the data aided iterative channel estimation was invoked,where joint channel estimation is proposed by exploiting multiple independent received signals instead of only one received signal in the existing scheme,which can mitigate the interference imposed by data symbols for channel estimation.Simulation results shows that the proposed multiple scattered pilot aided channel estimation scheme can significantly reduce the PAPR while keeping the high spectrum efficiency.

Laboratory investigations of the thermal strain of frozen soils,using fiber-optic strain gauges based on Bragg gratings

Measurements of the thermal deformations of frozen soil samples were performed in the cold laboratory in temperature range from 0°C to-12°C.Fiber Bragg Gratings strain and temperature sensors were used to measure the deformation and temperature inside the samples.A number of tests with the samples prepared from Kaolin and Cambrian clay saturated with fresh water,and prepared from fine and silt sand saturated with fresh or saline water,are performed.Thermal deformations of the samples are analyzed depending on the cyclic changes of their temperature.

Reflective Ladder Topology Network Based on White Light Fiber-Optic Mach-Zehnder Interferometer

In order to improve the multiplexing capability of the optical sensors based on the lower interferential optic fiber sensing technology and the white light fiber-optic Mach-Zehnder interferometer,reflective ladder topology network ( RLT) with tailored formula was proposed. The topology network consists of 6 rungs sensing elements linked by 5 couplers. Two cases with different choices of couplers were contrasted: one is equal coupling ratio,and the other is tailored coupling ratio. Through the simulation of these two cases,the detailed multiplexing capability was analyzed,and accordingly the experiments were also carried out. The simulation results showed that,the tailored formula enhances the multiplexing capability of the structure. In the first case, the maximum number of sensors which can be multiplexed is 8,and in the other case is 12 fiber optic sensors. The experimental results have a good agreement with numerical simulation results. Thus,it is considered expedient to incorporate RLT into large-scale building,grounds,bridges,dams,tunnels,highways and perimeter security.

Effects of pulse energy ratios on plasma characteristics of dual-pulse fiber-optic laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Laser-induced plasmas of dual-pulse fiber-optic laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy with different pulse energy ratios are studied by using the optical emission spectroscopy(OES)and fast imaging.The energy of the two laser pulses is independently adjusted within 0–30 m J with the total energy fixed at 30 m J.The inter-pulse delay remains 450 ns constantly.As the energy share of the first pulse increases,a similar bimodal variation trend of line intensities is observed.The two peaks are obtained at the point where the first pulse is half or twice of the second one,and the maximum spectral enhancement is at the first peak.The bimodal variation trend is induced by the change in the dominated mechanism of dual-pulse excitation with the trough between the two peaks caused by the weak coupling between the two mechanisms.By increasing the first pulse energy,there is a transition from the ablation enhancement dominance near the first peak to the plasma reheating dominance near the second peak.The calculations of plasma temperature and electron number density are consistent with the bimodal trend,which have the values of 17024.47 K,2.75×10^(17)cm;and 12215.93 K,1.17×10^(17)cm;at a time delay of 550 ns.In addition,the difference between the two peaks decreases with time delay.With the increase in the first pulse energy share,the plasma morphology undergoes a transformation from hemispherical to shiny-dot and to oblate-cylinder structure during the second laser irradiation from the recorded images by using an intensified charge-coupled device(ICCD)camera.Correspondingly,the peak expansion distance of the plasma front first decreases significantly from 1.99 mm in the single-pulse case to 1.34 mm at 12/18(dominated by ablation enhancement)and then increases slightly with increasing the plasma reheating effect.The variations in plasma dynamics verify that the change of pulse energy ratios leads to a transformation in the dual-pulse excitation mechanism.

Recent advances in fiber-optic DNA biosensors

Fiber-optic DNA biosensors are a kind of ana-lytic setups, which convert the Waston-Crick base pairs matching duplex or Hoogsteen’s tri-plex (T/A-T, C/G-C) formation into a readable analytical signals when functionalized single- strands DNA (ssDNA) or double-strands DNA (dsDNA) of interest are immobilized on the sur-face of fiber-optic hybrids with target DNA or interacts with ligands. This review will provide the information about the fiber-optic DNA bio-sensors classified into two categories depend-ing on the end fiber and side fiber with or with-out the labels—label-free fiber-optic DNA bio-sensors and labeled fiber-optic DNA biosensor in recent years. Both are dissertated, and em-phasis is on the label-free fiber-optic DNA bio-sensors. Fiber-optic DNA biosensors had got great progresses because fiber-optic has more advantages over the other transducers and are easily processed by nanotechnology. So fiber- optic DNA biosensors have increasingly at-tracted more attention to research and develop the new fiber-optic DNA biosensors that inte-grated with the “nano-bio-info” technology for in vivo test, single molecular detection and on-line medical diagnosis. Finally, future pros-pects to the fiber-optic DNA biosensors are predicted.

Inspection of Complex Internal Surface Shape with Fiber-optic Sensor II: for Specular Tilted Surface Measurement

Complex surface shape measurement has been a focus topic in the CAD/CAM field. A popular method for measuring dimensional information is using a 3D coordinate measuring machine (CMM)with a touch trigger probe. The measurement set up with CMM, however, is a time consuming task and the accuracy of the measurement deteriorates as the speed of measurement increase. Non-contact measurement is favored since high speed measurement can be achieved and problems with vibration and friction can be eliminated. Although much research has been conducted in non-contact measurement using image capturing and processing schemes, accuracy is poor and measurement is limited. Some optical technologies developed provide a good accuracy but the dynamic range and versatility is very limited. A novel fiber-optic sensor used for the inspection of complex internal contours is presented in this paper, which is able to measure a surface shape in a non-contact manner with high accuracy and high speed, and is compact and flexible to be incorporated into a CMM. Modulation functions for tilted surface shape measurement, based on the Gaussian distribution of the emitting beam from single-mode fiber (SMF), were derived for specular reflection. The feasibility of the proposed measurement principle was verified by simulations.

Highly Sensitive Fiber-Optic Faraday-Effect Magnetic Field Sensor Based on Yttrium Iron Garnet

The principle and performance of a fiber-optic Faraday-effect magnetic-field sensor based on an yttrium iron garnet (YIG) and two flux concentrations are described. A single polarization-maintaining optical fiber links the sensor head to the source and detection system, in which the technique of phase shift cancellation is used to cancel the phase shift that accumulatein the optical fiber. Flux concentrators were exploited to enhance the YIG crystal magneto-optic sensitivity .The sensor system exhibited a noise-equivalent field of 8 pT/√Hz and a 3 dB bandwidth of ～10 MHz.

Measurement of Gamma-Rays Induced Luminescence Generated in a Sapphire Based Fiber-Optic Radiation Sensor

In this study, we fabricated a sapphire based fiber-optic radiation sensor. To evaluate the fiber- optic radiation sensor, we measured the spectrum and intensity of the luminescence generated from the fiber-optic radiation sensor according to the thickness of the PMMA block by irradiation of gamma rays emitted from a Co-60 source. And the result was compared with the value calculated from the formula of Lambert-Beer.