Efficient yellow Dy:ZBLAN fiber laser with high-brightness diode-pumping at 450 nm.

We report on a low-threshold efficient yellow Dy-fiber laser with good beam quality featuring high-brightness pumping. It employs a single-clad 0.2 mol% Dy:ZBLAN fiber pumped by two 450-nm blue GaN laser diodes.

Deep-red double-clad fiber laser at 717 nm.

We report on a double-clad fiber laser operating on the P → F Pr transition (in the deep-red spectral range) pumped by a GaN diode laser at ∼442 nm. It employs a 0.8-mol% PrF-doped ZBLAN double-clad fiber with a 7.

Levonorgestrel butanoate intramuscular injection does not reliably suppress ovulation for 90 days in obese and normal-BMI women: a pilot study.

Background: We performed a pilot evaluation of a new formulation of levonorgestrel butanoate (LB) designed to be a long-acting injectable (6 months) contraceptive to determine pharmacodynamic end points in normal-body mass index (BMI) and obese women.

Study Design: Obese (BMI ≥30 kg/m) and normal-BMI, otherwise healthy, women received a single intramuscular injection of LB after ovulation was confirmed in a baseline cycle. The primary outcome was return of ovulation in days.

Measurement of Blood Volume in Adult Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta).

Most biomedical facilities that use rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) limit the amount of blood that may be collected for experimental purposes. These limits typically are expressed as a percentage of blood volume (BV), estimated by using a fixed ratio of blood (mL) per body weight (kg). BV estimation ratios vary widely among facilities and typically do not factor in variables known to influence BV in humans: sex, age, and body condition.

Expression of the beta-2 adrenergic receptor (ADRB-2) in human and monkey ovarian follicles: a marker of growing follicles?

Background: ADRB-2 was implicated in rodent ovarian functions, including initial follicular growth. In contrast, ADRB-2 expression and function in nonhuman primate and human ovary were not fully known but innervation and significant levels of norepinephrine (NE), which is a ligand at the ADRB-2, were reported in the ovary.

Methods: We studied expression of ADRB-2 in human and rhesus monkey ovary (RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry; laser micro dissection) and measured levels of norepinephrine (NE; ELISA) in monkey follicular fluid (FF).