Fiber optic refractometric sensors using a semi-ellipsoidal sensing element.

We present theoretical and experimental results for a fiber optic refractometric sensor employing a semi-ellipsoidal sensing element made of polymethyl methacrylate. The double internal reflection of light inside the element provides sensitivity to the refractive index of the external analyte. We demonstrate that the developed sensor, operating at a wavelength of 632 nm, is capable of measurement within a wide range of refractive indices from n=1.

Neonatal prefrontal cortex lesion using CO2 laser technique.

Prefrontal cortex (PFC) is a large area of the brain and its neonatal lesion with ibotenic or kainic acid is used to study the early abnormalities in neurodevelopment that lead to behavioral changes linked to schizophrenia. However, these exitotoxic drugs produce a large and asymmetric damage in the PFC. We produced the bilateral lesions of the dorsal part of the PFC of neonatal Sprague-Dawley rats (postnatal day 7, P7) at the anteroposterior +2.