Design criteria for a wavelength-selectable laser by adjusting birefringence filter temperature for yellow-green adjustable output.

The design criteria of the wavelength-selectable Nd:YAG laser by controlling a birefringence filter (BRF) rotational angle and temperature are explored. Theoretically, the angle and temperature-dependent BRF transmission are applied to the threshold pump power equation to verify the achievable output wavelength. It is found that by using a thicker BRF with a 3.

Exploring the criterion for the self-pulsing suppression of mid-IR intracavity OPO with self-Raman scattering.

The stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) from the Nd:YVO gain medium is originally employed to eliminate the self-pulsing effect from the intracavity optical parametric oscillator (OPO) for achieving a continuous-wave (CW) mid-infrared output. The SRS with a second-order pump-wave power depletion is applied as the damping for the coupling between OPO pump-wave relaxation oscillation and signal-wave depletion. The SRS threshold conditions for different cavity and diode-pumped mode size designs are theoretically and experimentally explored.

Low-threshold CW eye-safe vortex generation from an intracavity pump-wave off-axis pumped OPO.

A low-threshold efficient setup for CW wavelength versatile vortex generation is proposed. The intracavity optical parametric oscillator is utilized for low-threshold operation. By using the pump-wave off-axis pumping for the signal-wave oscillator, high-order Hermite-Gaussian modes at the eye-safe region can be obtained, which can further generate a vortex via an astigmatism mode converter.

Generating dual-wavelength VECSEL by selecting birefringence filter material and the application toward mid-infrared region via intracavity OPO.

A method for realizing a synchronized watt-level dual-wavelength vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting-laser (VECSEL) by using a tilted birefringence filter (BRF) is demonstrated. It is verified that by selecting suitable BRF material with different refractive index differences between extraordinary wave and ordinary wave, the dual-wavelength emission with a free spectrum range from sub-THz to tens of THz can be achieved. The output characteristics of such a dual-wavelength VECSEL are thoroughly investigated including its wavelength tunability and power difference.

Low-threshold dual-wavelength CW mid-IR laser from shared intracavity quasi-phase-matched OPO.

A low-threshold continuous wave dual-wavelength mid-infrared laser is demonstrated by using an intracavity optical parametric oscillator (OPO) with a dual-wavelength pump wave. To realize a high-quality dual-wavelength pump wave, a composite Nd:YVO/Nd:GdVO gain medium is applied for a linear polarized state and synchronization output. With the quasi-phase-matching OPO process, it is found that the dual-wavelength pump wave shares equal signal wave oscillation and leads to a lower OPO threshold.

Exploring the influence of pump beam quality on designing millijoule diode-end-pumped passively Q-switched lasers.

To practically predict the design criteria of diode-end-pumped passively Q-switched (PQS) lasers with energy scaling to millijoule region, an analytical model with longitudinally spatial dependence is derived to investigate the influence of pump beam quality. In comparison with PQS theory that considers transverse spatial dependence only, it is found that the threshold pump power can be up to 5 times larger when the beam quality factor was 80. This result indicates the importance of considering pump beam quality when designing PQS lasers especially for operation at high pump power level.

Power scaling of continuous-wave second harmonic generation in a MgO:PPLN ridge waveguide and the application to a compact wavelength conversion module.

The power scaling of continuous-wave (CW) second harmonic generation (SHG) in a MgO:periodically poled lithium niobite (PPLN) ridge waveguide is investigated. The nonlinear coefficient and propagation loss factors of the MgO:PPLN waveguide are verified for future reference. The MgO:PPLN waveguide structure is determined according to a practical fiber coupling configuration, as well as the theoretical model of output power characteristics.

Energy scale-up and mode-quality enhancement of the LED-pumped Nd:YAG Q-switched laser achieving a millijoule green pulse.

An efficient LED pumping module is explored for the demonstration of energy scaling of passively Q-switched output to millijoule high-pulse-energy level. For the free-running operation at fundamental wavelength, the highest optical conversion efficiency of 23.7% is reached.

Exploring the DBR superlattice effect on the thermal performance of a VECSEL with the finite element method.

The design criterion of thermal conductivity for the GaAs/AlAs distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) superlattice structure was thoroughly investigated to precisely analyze the thermal behaviors of the optically pumped vertically external cavity surface-emitting laser (VECSEL). A finite element model with detailed configuration of a VECSEL gain chip was constructed to fulfill the analysis. A 1060 nm VECSEL with different pump conditions was further demonstrated to verify the finite element analysis.

AXL phosphorylates and up-regulates TNS2 and its implications in IRS-1-associated metabolism in cancer cells.

Background: TNS2 is a focal adhesions protein and a binding partner for many proteins, including the receptor tyrosine kinase Axl. Although TNS2 can bind with Axl, the details of their interactions have not been elucidated. TNS2 is involved in IRS-1 signaling pathway.

Exploring the self-mode locking of the 2 μm Tm:YAG laser with suppression of the self-pulsing dynamic.

A continuous-wave (cw) self-mode-locked Tm:YAG laser at 2015 nm is successfully demonstrated by suppressing the self-pulsing behavior. By using rate equations to simulate the laser temporal dynamic, the theoretical analysis indicates that the reabsorption-induced self-pulsing for the Tm:YAG laser can be suppressed with sufficient pump power. It is experimentally confirmed that at absorbed powers higher than 6 W, the self-pulsing can be eliminated and a cw self-mode-locked pulse is generated instead of the Q-switched mode locking.

LED-side-pumped Nd:YAG laser with >20% optical efficiency and the demonstration of an efficient passively Q-switched LED-pumped solid-state laser.

A LED-array-pumped Nd:YAG laser with optical conversion efficiency up to 20.2% is demonstrated by direct side-pumping without a coupling lens. The 810-nm LED array with a full-width-half-maximum of 30 nm and an area fill factor of 50% is designed to attain high spectral absorption efficiency with a pump density of 151.

Compact coupling scheme to achieve the synchronously dual self-mode-locked operation with a 35.2 THz optical beating.

A synchronously dual self-mode-locked (SML) operation at 946 and 1064 nm is experimentally accomplished by using a compact coupling scheme to obtain the optical beating frequency up to 35.2 THz. The SML emissions at 946 and 1064 nm are established by a monolithic Nd:YAG cavity and a Nd:YVO crystal in a flat-flat cavity, respectively.

Negative feedback regulation of AXL by miR-34a modulates apoptosis in lung cancer cells.

The AXL receptor tyrosine kinase is frequently overexpressed in cancers and is important in cancer invasion/metastasis and chemoresistance. Here, we demonstrate a regulatory feedback loop between AXL and microRNA (miRNA) at the post-transcriptional level. Both the GAS6-binding domain and the kinase domain of AXL, particularly the Y779 tyrosine phosphorylation site, are shown to be crucial for this autoregulation.

Oxidative stress enhances Axl-mediated cell migration through an Akt1/Rac1-dependent mechanism.

Persistent oxidative stress is common in cancer cells because of abnormal generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and has been associated with malignant phenotypes, such as chemotherapy resistance and metastasis. Both overexpression of Axl and abnormal ROS elevation have been linked to cell transformation and increased cell migration. However, the relationship between Axl and ROS in malignant cell migration has not been previously evaluated.

Epigenetic inactivation of the metastasis suppressor RECK enhances invasion of human colon cancer cells.

Down-regulation of RECK, an important metastasis suppressor gene, has been found in human colon cancer. However, the molecular mechanism for this down- regulation and its biological significance are still unclear. In the present study, we investigated whether down-regulation of RECK is caused by epigenetic inactivation via promoter methylation and tested the effect of DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) inhibitor on RECK expression and cell invasion.

Downregulation of RECK by promoter methylation correlates with lymph node metastasis in non-small cell lung cancer.

In the present study, we addressed the molecular mechanism of the downregulation of reversion-inducing-cysteine-rich protein with Kazal motifs (RECK), a critical tumor suppressor that can potently inhibit angiogenesis and metastasis, in non-small cell lung cancer and its clinical significance. The methylation status of the RECK gene promoter was studied by methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction. RECK mRNA and protein levels were investigated by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis.

Silencing of the metastasis suppressor RECK by RAS oncogene is mediated by DNA methyltransferase 3b-induced promoter methylation.

RECK is a membrane-anchored glycoprotein that may negatively regulate matrix metalloproteinase activity to suppress tumor invasion and metastasis. Our previous study indicated that oncogenic RAS inhibited RECK expression via a histone deacetylation mechanism. In this study, we address whether DNA methyltransferases (DNMT) participate in the inhibition of RECK by RAS.