Polypeptide from Chlamys farreri (PCF) is a novel marine polypeptide compound isolated from gonochoric Chinese scallop Chlamys farreri, this study we further investigate the mechanisms of PCF exerting its anti-apoptotic effect. The results indicated that PCF, ROS scavenger NAC and NF-κB inhibitor MG132 effectively inhibited UVB-induced HaCaT cells apoptosis. PCF (2.84 mM) showed potential ROS scavenging activities in a kinetic process. PCF (1.42-5.69 mM) dose-dependently increased the expressions of Cu, Zn-SOD, CAT and GPx meanwhile decreased the expressions of p-NF-κB/p65 and COX-2 in UVB-induced HaCaT cells. Additionally, pretreatment with NAC significantly declined the generation of ROS and the expression of p-NF-κB/p65. We concluded that ROS, NF-κB and COX-2 are involved in UVB-induced HaCaT cells apoptosis, PCF exerts its protective effects via scavenging ROS, increasing the expression of antioxidative enzymes and inhibition the activation of NF-κB and COX-2.

Thesis (MScEng (Electrical and Electronic Engineering))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In recent years the demand for bandwidth has dramatically increased because of new applications for data and multimedia, and wireless technology has prevailed as a prominent technology for data connectivity, especially for home, office and last mile services. As wireless communications are dependant upon spectrum availability, which is communal, this scarce commodity in communication has to be used as efficiently as possible. Some aspects of this requirement are addressed in this project. We chose the IEEE 802.11b standard for this particular investigation because of its widespread use, the vast amount of applicable literature, the variety of software simulation tools and the ease with which equipment can be obtained. The IEEE 802.11 standard specified the Point Coordination Function as the de- terministic protocol. Recently research into this aspect has stagnated, and it was the purpose of this project to investigate how existing infrastructure networks could be improved by optimising some modes of the 802.11 protocol. The investigation also hoped to determine when to change between Distributed Coordination Function (DCF) and Point Coordination Function (PCF), and to provide an adaptive protocol to do so. This thesis presents mathematical models for the operation of DCF and PCF modes, which is compared with results from a network simulator (ns2), for theoretical veri- fication. A protocol is also proposed to dynamically switch between DCF and PCF, to harness the advantages they present. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die afgelope paar jaar het die aanvraag na bandwydte dramaties verhoog as gevolg van nuwe toepassings vir data en multimedia, en draadlose tegnologie het voorgekom as ’n dominante tegnologie vir data konnektiwiteit, veral vir die huis, kantoor en laaste myl dienste. Omdat draadlose kommunikasie afhanklik is van spektrum beskikbaarheid, wat gemeenskaplik is, moet hierdie skaars kommoditeit in kommunikasie so effektief moontlik gebruik word. Sekere aspekte van die vereiste sal in die tesis ondersoek word. Dit is besluit om die IEEE 802.11b standard vir die spesifieke ondersoek te gebruik as gevolg van die wye toepassing, die groot hoeveelheid beskikbare literatuur, die verskeidenheid simulasie sagteware en die gemak waarmee die toerusting bekom kan word. Die IEEE 802.11 standaard spesifiseer the Punt Koordinasie Funksie (PCF) as die deterministiese protokol vir die betrokke standaard. Onlangs het navorsing oor hierdie aspek gestagneer, en dit is die doel van die projek om te ondersoek hoe bestaande infrastruktuur netwerke moontlik verbeter kan word deur optimering van sekere modusse van die 802.11 protokol. Die ondersoek hoop ook om te bepaal wanneer die oorgang van die Distrubusie Koordinasie Funksie (DCF) en Punt Ko- ordinasie Funksie sal plaasvind, en om ’n dienooreenstemmende protokol te on- twikkel. Die tesis verskaf wiskundige modelle vir die werking van die DCF en PCF modusse, wat vergelyk word met resultate uit ’n netwerk simulator (ns2), vir teoretiese ver- ifikasie. ’n Protokol word ook voorgestel om dinamies te wissel tussen DCF and PCF, om die voordele wat die protokolle verskaf te gebruik.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T19:37:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Rodrigo Mendes Gerosa.pdf: 5257410 bytes, checksum: d0ee4897567ff7f2299a46312ebcc2f1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-01-27 / Fundo Mackenzie de Pesquisa / In this work two techniques are described for post-processing photonic crystal fibers (PCFs), which were developed to change their guidance properties. The first technique consists of selectively closing holes of the PCF microstructure, thus allowing, among other things, to fill in some holes with materials such as liquids, polymers and nanoparticles. The other technique consists of selectively collapsing holes in the PCF cross-section using differential pressure and an optical fiber fusion splicer, and is based on techniques previously demonstrated for PCF tapering. With the first technique a simple and effective way of sealing liquid core fibers is demonstrated, which avoids evaporation. The study of PCFs with complex cores formed by the original core of a solid-core fiber and an oil-filled hole adjacent to the core was also undertaken with this technique and provided a strong interaction between light and the filled channel, as well as a high sensitivity to temperature (displacement of 5.35 nm/°C in the observed spectral structures). With the use of the second technique, the collapse of a hole adjacent to the solid core of a PCF allowed the development of a modal Mach-Zehnder allfiber interferometer, with a spectral modulation depth of 9.5 dB, which is similar to that of other PCF modal interferometers reported in the literature, and a sensitivity to temperature of -54 pm/°C, which is about 4 times higher than that of Bragg gratings in conventional optical fibers. The same technique was used to obtain optical coupling between two cores of a photonic crystal fiber with 3 initially uncoupled cores. / Nesse trabalho são descritas duas técnicas de pós-processamento em fibras de cristal fotônico (PCFs, do inglês Photonic Crystal Fibers) desenvolvidas para alterar suas propriedades de guiamento. A primeira consiste em fechar seletivamente buracos da microestrutura das PCF possibilitando assim, entre outras coisas, o preenchimento de alguns buracos com materiais como líquidos, polímeros e nanopartículas. A outra técnica consiste em se colapsar seletivamente buracos da seção transversal da microestrutura de uma PCF utilizando pressão diferencial e uma máquina de emendas para fibras ópticas, sendo baseada em técnicas previamente demonstradas para o afilamento (tapering) de PCFs. Com a utilização da primeira dessas técnicas é apresentada uma maneira simples e eficiente de se vedar fibras com núcleo líquido, evitando-se assim a evaporação. O estudo de PCFs com núcleos complexos, formados pelo núcleo original de uma fibra de núcleo sólido e um buraco adjacente ao núcleo preenchido por óleo foi também realizado com essa técnica, proporcionando uma grande interação da luz com o canal preenchido e uma alta sensibilidade a temperatura (deslocamento de 5,35 nm/°C nas estruturas espectrais observadas). Utilizado-se a segunda técnica, o colapso de um buraco adjacente ao núcleo sólido de uma PCF permitiu o desenvolvimento de um interferômetro modal de Mach-Zehnder totalmente a fibra, apresentando uma profundidade de modulação espectral de 9,5 dB, semelhante à de outros interferômetros modais em PCFs reportados na literatura, e uma sensibilidade a temperatura de -54 pm/°C, cerca de 4 vezes maior do que a de redes de Bragg em fibras ópticas convencionais. A mesma técnica foi utilizada para se obter o acoplamento óptico entre 2 núcleos de uma fibra de cristal fotônico com 3 núcleos inicialmente desacoplados.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T19:38:54Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 RODRIGO MENDES GEROSA.pdf: 6396087 bytes, checksum: b904e08a314dcda72a403496699b5206 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-08-26 / Fundo Mackenzie de Pesquisa / This thesis describes the development of new photonic devices produced by micromanipulation of the optical fibers properties, i.e., the change, in the micrometer scale, of the fiber s optical and/or geometrical properties. In this context, three lines of research have been followed, using different optical fiber processing techniques and considering different types of devices. In the first line, the coupling of two cores in a photonic crystal fiber with three initially uncoupled cores was demonstrated. The couplers had an insertion loss estimated at ~1 dB and exhibited spectral modulations with a depth up to 18 dB. They also showed high sensitivity to polarization, which can be exploited in fiber polarization beamsplitters. For this work, we used a technique that modifies the fiber structure by applying local differential pressure and heating. In the second line, a Rhodamine dye laser was develop with a fully fiber integrated optofluidic cavity. It was possible to maintain a high flow of the dye solution, up to 400 μL / min, which allowed the use of a pump laser with a high repetition rate (1 kHz), and, at the same time, the degradation of the gain medium was not observed. An optical conversion rate of up to 9% and a pump energy threshold lower than 1 mJ were obtained. A splicing technique was used, in which an angled cleaved capillary fiber was fused to a conventional fiber, thereby leaving a side inlet open for the fluid flow. The third line aimed at the incorporation of carbon nanomaterials to optical fibers. In this case, two approaches were employed: in one of them, polymeric films, with a thickness of 20 μm, containing carbon nanotubes were produced on the face of optical fiber patchcords; such patchcords have been inserted into erbium-doped fiber laser cavities to act as saturable absorbers in order to obtain mode-locking operation. Pulses with durations down to 364 fs were obtained with 10.2 nm bandwidths. The films were formed when a micro-droplet of a carbon nanotube suspension on an optical adhesive was placed on the surface of optical fiber connectors, with the use of a micropipette. Within the same line, photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) with homogeneous graphene oxide films covering the inner walls of their capillaries were obtained. The homogeneity was confirmed by Raman spectroscopy and by the loss per fiber length, as measured by the cut back method. A PCF was also spliced to conventional connectorized fiber patchcords and incorporated into a laser cavity to generate pulses. The film production was consisted of inserting a graphene oxide suspension into the PCF capillaries, after which the solvent was dried. / Essa tese descreve o desenvolvimento de novos dispositivos fotônicos produzidos a partir da micromanipulação das propriedades de fibras ópticas, isto é, da alteração em escala micrométrica, das propriedades ópticas e/ou geométricas destas. Nesse contexto, três linhas de trabalho foram seguidas, utilizando diferentes técnicas de processamento de fibras ópticas e levando à demonstração de diferentes tipos de dispositivos. Na primeira linha foi demostrado o acoplamento de dois núcleos em uma fibra de cristal fotônico com três núcleos inicialmente desacoplados. Os acopladores apresentaram uma perda de inserção estimada de ~1 dB e exibiram modulações espectrais com uma profundidade de até 18 dB. Apresentaram também uma sensibilidade elevada à polarização, que pode ser explorada em divisores de polarização (polarization beamsplitters) a fibra. Para isso foi utilizada uma técnica de alteração da estrutura da fibra através da aplicação de pressão diferencial e aquecimento local,. Na segunda linha foi desenvolvido um laser do corante Rodamina com uma cavidade optofluídica totalmente integrada em fibra. Nela, era possível manter um alto fluxo da solução de corante, de até 400 μl/min, o que permitiu utilizar um laser de bombeio com alta taxa de repetição (1kHz) sem observar-se degradação do meio de ganho. Uma taxa de conversão óptica de até 9% e uma energia de limiar (threshold) menor que 1 μJ foram obtidas. Utilizou-se aqui uma técnica de emenda através da qual uma fibra capilar clivada em ângulo era emendada com uma fibra convencional, deixando assim uma entrada lateral para fluidos. A terceira linha visou incorporar nanomateriais de carbono a fibras ópticas. Nesse caso duas abordagens foram empregadas: em uma, filmes poliméricos com espessuras de 20 μm e contendo nanotubos de carbono foram produzidos na face de conectores de cordões de fibra ópticas; esse cordões foram inseridos em cavidades laser a fibra dopada com érbio para atuar como absorvedores saturáveis para a obtenção de mode locking. Com isso foram obtidos pulsos de até 364 fs e espectros com larguras de banda de 10,2 nm. Os filmes foram formados a partir de uma microgota de uma suspensão de nanotubos de carbono em adesivos ópticos que foi colocada sobre a face de conectores de fibra óptica com uma micropipeta. Ainda na mesma linha obtiveram-se fibras de cristal fotônico (PCFs) com filmes de óxido de grafeno homogêneos no interior de seus capilares. A homogeneidade foi comprovada através de espectroscopia Raman e pela medida da perda em função do comprimento das fibras, realizada através do método cut back. Uma PCF foi, ainda, emendada a cordões de fibra convencional conectorizados e incorporada a cavidades laser para geração de pulsos. A produção dos filmes foi realizada através da inserção de uma suspensão de óxido de grafeno nos capilares de PCFs de núcleo sólido, após o qual o solvente era secado.

[pt] No presente trabalho, demonstramos o uso de fibras de cristais fotônicos (PCF) em diferentes configurações para sensoriamento. Investigamos o uso de fibras PCF com alta birrefringência para sensoriamento de pressão hidrostática e deformação, explorando a baixa dependência térmica. Onde a interferência entre os modos que se propagam em uma fibra birrefringente é analisada. Monitoramos o deslocamento do padrão de interferência do espectro de reflexão, com a variação da pressão ou deformação aplicada à fibra. Demonstramos uma técnica de criar cavidades Fabry-Perot dentro de uma fibra óptica, bem como uma técnica para controlar seu comprimento, e consequentemente, o período das franjas no padrão de interferência no espectro de reflexão. O interferômetro Fabry-Perot (FPI) investigado, possuí um altíssimo contraste nas franjas do padrão de interferência, acima dos 30 dB, sendo no momento, o recorde para o valor do contraste das franjas para FPI silica-ar. O dispositivo foi investigado quanto à resposta a deformação. Um robusto encapsulamento foi feito, possibilitando investigar a resposta do dispositivo à vibração externa. Um estudo da relação da sensibilidade com o comprimento do FPI é também investigado. Construímos um outro interferômetro a partir de um pedaço de fibra PCF e de duas regiões de colapso de suas micro-estruturas. Estas regiões permitem a excitação e recombinação dos modos da fibra. Um dos modos que participa da interferência, é o modo de casca da fibra PCF, o qual é sensível a mudança de índice de refração do meio. O dispositivo apresenta contraste acima dos 40 dB, e é investigado quanto à resposta as mudanças de índices de refração do meio externo em contato com a fibra. Com a mesma montagem, funcionalizamos um pedaço de 2,0 cm de PCF para monitoramento de respiração humana. A partir disso, desenvolvemos um dispositivo capaz de monitorar a respiração do ser humano. / [en] In this work, we have demonstrated the use of Photonic Crystal Fiber (PCF), in different configurations, for sensing applications. The high birefringence and low temperature dependence characteristics of the PCF were explored for sensing hydrostatic pressure and deformation in a reflection configuration. Sensing was based on the analysis of the interference patterns between the modes that propagate in the birefringent fiber under the variation of pressure and deformation applied to the fiber. We have also demonstrated a technique to manufacture a Fabry-Perot Interferometer (FPI) cavity within an optical fiber with control of the cavity length and thus the control of the period of the fringes in the interference pattern. The Fabry-Perot Interferometer investigated presented a very high fringe contrast, above 30 dB, and showed a record value of the contrast of the fringes for FPI silica-air. The FPI device integrated within the fiber was tested as a strain sensor and also as a device to monitor vibration. A study of the relative sensitivity of the length of the FPI was also investigated. Another interferometer was built from a piece of standard fiber and a PCF with two regions of collapsed microstructures. These regions allowed the excitation and recombination of the fiber modes. This device was tested as a refractive index sensor, presenting a fringe contrast above 40 dB. An application of this device was the development of a humid sensor to monitor human breathing.

Neste trabalho, propomos um novo mÃtodo de modulaÃÃo Ãptica usando um filtro acÃstoÃptico sintonizÃvel (AOTF) convencional e um filtro acÃsto-Ãptico com polarizaÃÃo sintonizÃvel (AOTPF) baseado em fibra de cristal fotÃnico (PCF), onde portas lÃgicas Ãpticas E e OU sÃo obtidas pela operaÃÃo simultÃnea da modulaÃÃo em dupla banda lateral Ãptica (ODSB) e da modulaÃÃo por posiÃÃo de pulso no domÃnio da frequÃncia (PPFDM). Estes dispositivos sÃo operados com pulsos sÃlitons ultracurtos de 100 ps e 55,5 fs para o AOTF convencional e para o AOTPF baseado em PCF, respectivamente. Desta forma, um pulso leva dois bits de informaÃÃo apÃs ser criptografado pela modulaÃÃo proposta aqui. Em seguida, analisamos a modulaÃÃo ODSB-PPFDM para os pulsos de entrada, polarizados nos dois modos de entrada, permitindo uma variaÃÃo no parÃmetro de codificaÃÃo εcod para cada pulso de entrada. Para o AOTF convencional, consideramos uma diferenÃa de fase de dfi = pi rad entre ambos os pulsos de entrada. Como resultado, obtivemos vÃrios valores do parÃmetro de codificaÃÃo |εcod| onde as operaÃÃes lÃgicas E e OU foram possÃveis. JÃ para o AOTPF baseado em PCF, consideramos uma diferenÃa de fase de dfi = 1,28pi rad entre ambos os pulsos de entrada para obtermos valores do parÃmetro de codificaÃÃo |εcod| onde as operaÃÃes lÃgicas E e OU foram possÃveis. / We propose a new method of optical modulation using a conventional Acousto-Optic Tunable Filter (AOTF) and an Acoustic Optic Tunable Polarization Filter (AOTPF) based on Photonic Crystal Fiber (PCF). In both devices the all-optical logic gates, namely AND and OR, are obtained by simultaneously operation of Optical Double Sideband (ODSB) modulation and a Pulse Position Frequency Domain Modulation (PPFDM). These devices shall operate with ultrashort soliton light pulses 100 ps and 55.5 fs for conventional AOTF and all-fiber AOTPF based on PCF, respectively. In this way, a pulse will carry two bits of information after been encoded by the modulation proposed here. We then analyze the modulation ODSB - PPFDM for input pulses, polarized in the two input modes, allowing a variation in the modulation parameter εcod for each input pulse. For conventional AOTF, a phase difference dfi = pi rad was considered between both input pulses, obtaining various values of the coding parameter offset |εcod| where the AND and OR logic operations were possible. For the all-fiber AOTPF based on PCF, a phase difference of dfi = 1,28pi rad was necessary between both input pulses to generate values of coding parameter offset |εcod|, for which AND and OR logic operations were possible.

The real-time detection of trace species is key to a wide range of applications such as on-line chemical process analysis, medical diagnostics, identification of environmentally toxic species and atmospheric pollutant sensing. There is a growing demand for suitable techniques that are not only sensitive, but also simple to operate, fast and versatile. Most currently available techniques, such as spectrophotometry, are neither sensitive enough nor fast enough for kinetic studies, whilst other techniques are too complex to be operated by the non-specialist. This thesis presents two techniques that have been developed for and applied to liquid-phase analysis, with supercontinuum (SC) radiation used for liquid-phase absorption for the first time. Firstly, supercontinuum cavity enhanced absorption spectroscopy (SC-CEAS) was used for the kinetic measurement of chemical species in the liquid phase using a linear optical cavity. This technique is simple to implement, robust and achieves a sensitivity of 9.1 × 10−7 cm−1 Hz−1/2 at a wavelength of 550nm for dye species dissolved in water. SC-CEAS is not calibration-free and for this purpose a second technique, a time-resolved variant called broadband cavity ring-down spectroscopy (BB-CRDS), was successfully developed. Use of a novel single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) array enabled the simultaneous detection of ring-down events at multiple spectral positions for BB-CRDS measurements. The performance of both techniques is demonstrated through a number of applications that included the monitoring of an oscillating (Belousov-Zhabotinsky) reaction, detection of commercially important photoluminescent metal complexes (europium(III)) at trace level concentration, and the analysis of biomedical species (whole and lysed blood) and proteins (amyloids). Absorption spectra covering the entire visible wavelength range can be acquired in fractions of a second using sample volumes measuring only 1.0mL. Most alternative devices capable of achieving similar sensitivity have, up until now, been restricted to single wavelength measurements. This has limited speed and number of species that can be measured at once. The work presented here exemplifies the potential of these techniques as analytical tools for research scientists, healthcare practitioners and process engineers alike.

Light can exert optical forces on matter. In the macroscopic world these forces are minuscule, but on the microscopic or atomic scale, these forces are large enough to trap and manipulate particles. They may even be used to cool atoms to a fraction of a degree above absolute zero. This thesis details a number of experiments concerned with the optical manipulation of atoms and micron-size particles using free space light beams and photonic crystal fibres. Two atom guiding experiments are described. In the first experiment, a spatial light modulator is used to generate higher blue-detuned azimuthal Laguerre-Gaussian LG) beams, which are annular beams with a hollow core. These LG beams are then used to guide laser cooled rubidium-85 atoms within the dark core over a distance of 30 mm. The second atom guiding experiment involves attempting to guide laser cooled and thermal rubidium atoms through a hollow-core photonic crystal fibre using red-detuned light. Hollow-core photonic crystal fibres are fibres that are able to guide light with low attenuation within a hollow core. For this experiment a hot wire detection system was designed, along with a number of complex vacuum systems. The first dual-beam fibre trap for micron-size particles constructed using endlessly single-mode photonic crystal fibre (ESM-PCF) is described. The characteristics of dual-beam fibre traps are governed by the fibres used. As ESM-PCF has considerably different properties in comparison to conventional single- or multimode fibres, this dual beam ESM-PCF trap exhibits some novel characteristics. I show that the dual beam ESM-PCF trap can form trapping, repulsive and line potentials; an interference-free ‘white light’ trap; and a dual-wavelength optical conveyor belt.

24 % of the Northern Hemisphere’s landmass is underlain by permafrost. 1 700 billion tonnes of organic carbon (C) is stored in the permafrost, and the ongoing climate change lead to permafrost thawing and carbon release. This study examines the extent of thawing permafrost and the estimated carbon emissions as a consequence of permafrost thawing. The results show an estimated decrease of near-surface permafrost up to 81% before 2100 due to an increase of the average global temperature. Thawing permafrost releases CO2 and CH4 to the atmosphere, which amplifies the greenhouse effect and creates a positive feedback to global warming. The magnitude of the positive feedback is uncertain but an average of 178 Pg C is expected to release to the atmosphere by 2100 if the anthropogenic emissions continues. A potential increase in biomass due to favorable growing conditions is not expected to offset the carbon emissions.

Research towards the development of a gas-discharge fibre laser using noble gases, with target emission wavelengths in the mid-IR. Additional and separate work on gas treatment methods for managing the formation of photo-induced defects in silica glass.