120° Phase Difference Interference Technology Based on 3 × 3 Coupler and its Application in Laser Noise Measurement

A 120° phase difference interferometer technology based on an unbalanced Michelson interferometer composed of a 3 × 3 optical fiber coupler is proposed, and based on this technology, the differential phase of the input laser can be obtained. This technology has many applications. This paper introduced its application in laser phase and frequency noise measurement in detail. The relations and differences of the power spectral density (PSD) of differential phase and frequency fluctuation, instantaneous phase and frequency fluctuation, phase noise, and linewidth are derived strictly and discussed carefully. The noise features of some narrow-linewidth lasers are also obtained conveniently without any specific assumptions or noise models. Finally, the application of this technology in the phase-sensitive optical time domain reflectometer (ϕ-OTDR) is also introduced briefly

Near-field imaging of scattering obstacles with the factorization method

In this paper we establish a factorization method for recovering the location and shape of an acoustic bounded obstacle with using the near-field data, corresponding to infinitely many incident point sources. The obstacle is allowed to be an impenetrable scatterer of sound-soft, sound-hard or impedance type or a penetrable scatterer. An outgoing-to-incoming operator is constructed for facilitating the factorization of the near-field operator, which can be easily implemented numerically. Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of our inversion algorithm, including the case where limited aperture near-field data are available only

Joint time and frequency dissemination network over delay-stabilized fiber optic links

A precise fiber-based time and frequency dissemination scheme for multiple users with a tree-like branching topology is proposed. Through this scheme, ultra-stable signals can be easily accessed online anywhere along the fiber without affecting other sites. The scheme is tested through an experiment, in which a modulated frequency signal and a synchronized time signal are transferred to multiple remote sites over a delay-stabilized fiber optic links that are over 50 km long. Results show that the relative stabilities are 5E-14@1s and 2E-17@10000s. Meanwhile, compared with each site, time synchronization precision is less than 80 ps. These results can pave the way to practical applications in joint time and frequency dissemination network systems.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure

Growth performance, organ-level ionic relations and organic osmoregulation of Elaeagnus angustifolia in response to salt stress

Elaeagnus angustifolia is one of the most extensively afforested tree species in environment-harsh regions of northern China. Despite its exceptional tolerance to saline soil, the intrinsic adaptive physiology has not been revealed. In this study, we investigated the growth, organ-level ionic relations and organic osmoregulation of the seedlings hydroponically treated with 0, 100 and 200 mM NaCl for 30 days. We found that the growth characteristics and the whole-plant dry weight were not obviously stunted, but instead, were even slightly stimulated by the treatment of 100 mM NaCl. In contrast, these traits were significantly inhibited by 200 mM NaCl treatment. Interestingly, as compared with the control (0 mM NaCl), both 100 and 200 mM NaCl treatments had a promotional effect on root growth as evidenced by 26.3% and 2.4% increases in root dry weight, respectively. Roots had the highest Na+ and Cl- concentrations and obviously served as the sink for the net increased Na+ and Cl-, while, stems might maintain the capacity of effective Na+ constraint, resulting in reduced Na+ transport to the leaves. K+, Ca2+ and Mg2+ concentrations in three plant organs of NaCl-treated seedlings presented a substantial decline, eventually leading to an enormously drop of K+/Na+ ratio. As the salt concentration increased, proline and soluble protein contents continuously exhibited a prominent and a relatively tardy accumulation, respectively, whereas soluble sugar firstly fell to a significant level and then regained to a level that is close to that of the control. Taken together, our results provided quantitative measures that revealed some robust adaptive physiological mechanisms underpinning E. angustifolia’s moderately high salt tolerance, and those mechanisms comprise scalable capacity for root Na+ and Cl- storage, effectively constrained transportation of Na+ from stems to leaves, root compensatory growth, as well as an immediate and prominent leaf proline accumulation

Serine Alleviates Dextran Sulfate Sodium-Induced Colitis and Regulates the Gut Microbiota in Mice

Serine alleviates inflammatory responses and is beneficial for gut health; however, whether it exerts any effects on ulcerative colitis or regulates intestinal microbiota remains unknown. We investigated the effects of serine supplementation on colonic morphology, inflammation, and microbiota composition in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis model in mice. Acute colitis was induced through the oral intake of 3.5% DSS in water for 7 days. Mice with acute colitis were divided into two groups; The DSS and Ser-treated groups were rectally administrated with PBS or 1% (w/v) serine (40 mg/kg body weight) for 7 days. The results showed that serine decreased the disease activity index, as well as myeloperoxidase, eosinophil peroxidase, and proinflammatory cytokine concentrations in colonic tissue, while serine improved colonic morphology and inhibited cell apoptosis in colitis mice. In addition, 16S rRNA phylogenetic sequencing revealed a shift in bacterial community composition, and changes in microbiota functional profiles following serine supplementation, although no significant difference in α-diversity analysis was observed. The effects of serine supplementation helped on the recovery of major perturbations to macrobiotic functions, such as amino acids metabolism; tissue replication and repair; and cell growth and death. Serine might have great potential for the renewal of colonic tissue in DSS-induced colitis