VEGF-C prophylaxis favors lymphatic drainage and modulates neuroinflammation in a stroke model.

Meningeal lymphatic vessels (MLVs) promote tissue clearance and immune surveillance in the central nervous system (CNS). Vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) regulates MLV development and maintenance and has therapeutic potential for treating neurological disorders. Herein, we investigated the effects of VEGF-C overexpression on brain fluid drainage and ischemic stroke outcomes in mice.

VEGF-C promotes brain-derived fluid drainage, confers neuroprotection, and improves stroke outcomes.

Unlabelled: Meningeal lymphatic vessels promote tissue clearance and immune surveillance in the central nervous system (CNS). Vascular endothelium growth factor-C (VEGF-C) is essential for meningeal lymphatic development and maintenance and has therapeutic potential for treating neurological disorders, including ischemic stroke. We have investigated the effects of VEGF-C overexpression on brain fluid drainage, single cell transcriptome in the brain, and stroke outcomes in adult mice.

Conserved meningeal lymphatic drainage circuits in mice and humans.

Meningeal lymphatic vessels (MLVs) were identified in the dorsal and caudobasal regions of the dura mater, where they ensure waste product elimination and immune surveillance of brain tissues. Whether MLVs exist in the anterior part of the murine and human skull and how they connect with the glymphatic system and extracranial lymphatics remained unclear. Here, we used light-sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) imaging of mouse whole-head preparations after OVA-A555 tracer injection into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and performed real-time vessel-wall (VW) magnetic resonance imaging (VW-MRI) after systemic injection of gadobutrol in patients with neurological pathologies.

All-fiber controller of radial polarization using a periodic stress.

Our aim is to transpose the polarization control by mechanical stress, usually applied to single-mode fibers, to the (TM(01), TE(01), HE(21)(ev), HE(21)(od)) annular mode family. Nevertheless, the quasi-degeneracy of these four modes makes the situation more complex than with the fundamental mode HE(11). We propose a simple device based on periodic perturbation and mode coupling to produce the radially polarized TM(01) mode or at least one of the four modes at the extremity of an arbitrarily long fiber, the conversion to TM(01) mode being achievable by classical crystalline plates.

Characterization of HIFU transducers designed for sonochemistry application: cavitation distribution and quantification.

Acoustic field distribution was determined in HIFU sonoreactors as well as localization of cavitation activity by crossing different techniques: modeling, hydrophone measurements, laser tomography and SCL measurements. Particular care was taken with quantification of this last technique by pixels or photon counting. Cavitation bubbles generated by HIFU are mainly located on the outer layer of the propagation cone in the post-focal zone.

Determination of local refractive index variations in thin films by heterodyne interferometric scanning near-field optical microscopy.

We report on a heterodyne interferometric scanning near-field optical microscope developed for characterizing, at the nanometric scale, refractive index variations in thin films. An optical lateral resolution of 80 nm (lambda/19) and a precision smaller than 10(-4) on the refractive index difference have been achieved. This setup is suitable for a wide set of thin films, ranging from periodic to heterogeneous samples, and turns out to be a very promising tool for determining the optical homogeneity of thin films developed for nanophotonics applications.

Radially polarized conical beam from an embedded etched fiber.

We propose a method for producing a conical beam based on the lateral refraction of the TM(01) mode from a two-mode fiber after chemical etching of the cladding, and for controlling its radial polarization. The whole power of the guided mode is transferred to the refracted beam with low diffraction. Polarization control by a series of azimuthal detectors and a stress controller affords the transmission of a stabilized radial polarization through an optical fiber.

Photocurrent near-field microscopy of Schottky barriers.

We used a combination of internal photoemission and of near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) to study the lateral variations in solid interface properties such as energy barriers and electron-hole recombination. In particular we investigated the fully formed Pt-GaP, Au-GaAs, Au-SiNx-GaAs and PtSi-Si Schottky barriers. Our approach enabled us to measure large lateral variations in the photocurrent with spatial resolution on the nanometric scale.

Near-field optical probing of two-dimensional photonic crystals: theory and experiment.

We report new experimental results, and their theoretical analysis, on the mechanisms that control light transfer between two integrated waveguides connected by two-dimensional matrices of dielectric pillars. The optical properties of the system are analysed from the well-established formalism of classical field susceptibilities (Green dyadic functions). We apply this scheme to investigate the optical properties of two-dimensional arrays connected to two integrated waveguides.

Shaping the reflection near-field optical probe: finite domain time difference modelling and fabrication using a focused ion beam.

An optical fibre ending in a trihedral tip is proposed as a convenient probe for reflection near-field optical microscopy in emission/collection mode. Its shape is obtained by ion milling. A first example of manufacturing and numerical models using the bi-dimensional FDTD method is presented.

Image resolution in reflection scanning near-field optical microscopy using shear-force feedback: characterization with a spline and Fourier spectrum.

Scanning near-field optical microscopes (SNOM's) actually lead to nanometric lateral resolution. A combination with shear-force feedback is sometimes used to keep the SNOM tip at a constant force from the sample. However, resolutions in shear-force and optical data are different.

External and internal reflection near field microscopy: experiments and results.

Two configurations of a scanning near field optical microscope working in reflection are presented. Results exhibiting nanometric resolution are given and discussed.

Model for reflection near field optical microscopy.

We discuss a model that describes the optical interactions between a dielectric tip and a surface exhibiting roughness of subwavelength size (infinite tracks). Such a model gives new insight into the resolution achievable by scanning near field optical microscopy. The dielectric tip is schematized as a cone whose extremity reduces to a small sphere acting as a dipolar scattering center, allowing separation of the contributions from the near field lying at the air-sample interface of other long range terms associated with the progressive waves coming from the surface.

Linear phase detection for a bimodal fiber sensor.

Interference between the LP(01) and LP(02) modes is used to measure fiber elongation. We present a passive phase-detection technique that uses a mask in the far field of the output beam and spatial filters in the image of the fiber end face, giving a linear response. Experimental results show a precision of about 3% of one period, which corresponds to a 4-microm elongation.

In-plane displacement and strain measurement by speckle interferometry and moire derivation.

The notion of the coefficient of correlation between two interfering wave fronts is applied to the study of fringe formation and visibility in speckle interferometry. The parameters affecting the visibility of the in-plane displacement fringes are analyzed in the case of an arbitrary displacement and deformation of the object surface. The influence of strain as well as defocusing on the visibility is explicated.