Measuring spatiotemporal ultrafast field structures of pulses from multimode optical fibers.

Ultrashort pulses emerging from multimode optical fibers are spatiotemporally complex, because inside these fibers the modes have different spatial intensity patterns and experience different propagation velocities and dispersions. To determine the spatiotemporal field from multimode fibers, we applied a technique for the complete measurement of the output pulses called a spatially and temporally resolved intensity and phase evaluation device: full information from a single hologram. It yields the complete electric field over space and time from multiple digital holograms, simultaneously recorded at different frequencies on a single camera frame.

Visualizing spatiotemporal pulse propagation: first-order spatiotemporal couplings in laser pulses.

Even though a general theory of first-order spatiotemporal couplings exists in the literature, it is often difficult to visualize how these distortions affect laser pulses. In particular, it is difficult to show the spatiotemporal phase of pulses in a meaningful way. Here, we propose a general solution to plotting the electric fields of pulses in three-dimensional space that intuitively shows the effects of spatiotemporal phases.

Numerical simulations of holographic spatiospectral traces of spatiotemporally distorted ultrashort laser pulses.

We simulate traces for a catalog of spatiotemporally complex pulses measured using a single-shot complete spatiotemporal pulse-measurement technique we recently developed, called Spatially and Temporally Resolved Intensity and Phase Evaluation Device: Full Information from a Single Hologram (STRIPED FISH). The only such technique ever developed to our knowledge, STRIPED FISH measures the complete spatiotemporal intensity I(x,y,t) and phase ϕ(x,y,t) of an arbitrary laser pulse using an experimentally recorded trace consisting of multiple digital holograms, one for each frequency present in the pulse. To understand the effects of various spatiotemporal distortions on the STRIPED FISH trace, we numerically investigate STRIPED FISH trace features for a catalog of pulses, including the spatially and temporally transform-limited pulse, temporal and spatial double pulses, spherically focusing and diverging pulses, self-phase modulated and self-focusing pulses, spatiotemporally coupled pulses, and pulses with complex structures.

Standards for ultrashort-laser-pulse-measurement techniques and their consideration for self-referenced spectral interferometry.

Issues important for new ultrashort-pulse-measurement techniques include the generation of theoretical example traces for common pulses, validity ranges, ambiguities, coherent artifacts, device calibration sensitivity, iterative retrieval convergence, and feedback regarding measurement accuracy. Unfortunately, in the past, such issues have gone unconsidered, yielding long histories of unsatisfactory measurements. We review these issues here in the hope that future proposers of new techniques will consider them without delay, and, as an example, we address them for a relatively new technique: self-referenced spectral interferometry.

Psychosocial concerns of young African American breast cancer survivors.

Thirty-three African American breast cancer survivors age 45 or younger participated in semistructured phone interviews about psychosocial concerns. Twenty-six percent believed treatment interfered with employment. One third wanted additional emotional support at and after diagnosis.

A randomized trial of internet-based versus traditional sexual counseling for couples after localized prostate cancer treatment.

Background: After treatment for prostate cancer, multidisciplinary sexual rehabilitation involving couples appears more promising than traditional urologic treatment for erectile dysfunction (ED). The authors of this report conducted a randomized trial comparing traditional or internet-based sexual counseling with waitlist (WL) control.

Methods: Couples were randomized adaptively to a 3-month WL, a 3-session face-to-face format (FF), or an internet-based format (WEB1).

Sisters Peer Counseling in Reproductive Issues After Treatment (SPIRIT): a peer counseling program to improve reproductive health among African American breast cancer survivors.

Background: African American breast cancer survivors may be at high risk for reproductive health problems, including menopause symptoms, sexual dysfunction, and distress about cancer-related infertility. The authors partnered with Sisters Network Inc. to create the Sisters Peer Counseling in Reproductive Issues After Treatment (SPIRIT) program, a culturally sensitive intervention program that combined a written workbook and peer counseling.

Expression and properties of recombinant ovine uterine serpin.

Ovine uterine serpin (OvUS) is produced in the uterus of sheep under the influence of progesterone. It weakly inhibits pepsin and reduces proliferation of lymphocytes, tumor cell lines, and preimplantation embryos. When purified from uterine fluid, the concentration required for its antiproliferative effect in vitro is approximately 0.

Litter characteristics of gilts artificially inseminated with transforming growth factor-beta.

Problem: Semen is a rich source of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) and it has been proposed that this molecule promotes embryonic survival by modifying immune responses to promote tolerance toward paternal antigens and by inducing release of cytokines that promote embryonic development. The role of TGF-beta was tested using pigs by evaluating whether its addition to washed sperm improves conceptus survival and fetal growth.

Methods Of Study: At estrus, gilts were artificially inseminated twice at 12-hr intervals with 100 mL of either washed semen resuspended in a commercial semen extender supplemented with 2 mg/mL of gelatin or washed semen in the same extender containing 65 ng/mL of TGF-beta1.

Ionic reaction of halogens with terminal alkenes: the effect of electron-withdrawing fluorine substituents on the bonding of halonium ions.

Ionic reactions of terminal alkenes with chlorine (Cl(2)), bromine (Br(2)), and iodine monochloride (ICl) are sensitive to the alkyl substituents, and the positions and number of vinyl fluorine atoms. These perturbations influence the symmetry of the halonium ion intermediates, which can be determined by the distribution of the Markovnikov to anti-Markovnikov products. A vinyl fluorine on the number-2 carbon favors an unsymmetrical intermediate with greater charge on the number-2 carbon unless the alkyl group is electron withdrawing.