All-fiber tunable devices based on high-index photonic crystal fibers filled with liquid crystals.

In this paper we present all-in fiber tunable devices based on specially designed and optimized high-index photonic crystal fibers filled with nematic liquid crystals. A special host microstructured optical fibers have been designed and manufactured to ensure low-loss index guiding and mode field diameter matching to SMF-28 fiber, ensuring low losses on interconnections with leading in-out FC/PC connectorized pigtails. We present four types of tunable all-fiber devices: tunable retarders with tuning range as high as 20 λ, tunable polarizers with variable axis of polarization and continuously tunable polarization dependent losses, tunable and fully controllable polarization controller and finally indeterministic depolarizer in which depolarization is caused by random thermodynamic process.

The role of galectin-3 in atrial fibrillation.

Numerous risk factors for atrial fibrillation (AF) progression have been identified. However, the biomarkers mentioned in the guidelines do not have any clinically relevant predictive value. Some research groups investigated the potential utility of galectin-3 (gal-3) as a diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive biomarker in AF.

Catamenial pneumothorax - a review of the literature.

Catamenial pneumothorax should be defined as recurrent accumulation of air in the pleural cavity in reproductive-age women without concomitant respiratory diseases. The sine qua non criterion is the occurrence of the pneumothorax in the period of 72 hours before or after the menses. Additional criteria include characteristic pleural lesions, right-sided occurrence, and coexistence of endometriosis.

Improving the electric field sensing capabilities of the long-period fiber grating coated with a liquid crystal layer.

The hybrid liquid crystal long-period fiber grating structure presented here uses the 1702 liquid crystal as a thin layer on the bare long-period fiber grating. To achieve the highest long-period fiber grating sensitivity to the liquid crystal layer presence, a UV-induced host grating, with a relatively short period of 226.8 μm, was chosen.