Simultaneous photoacoustic and optically mediated ultrasound microscopy: an in vivo study.

We propose the use of thermoelastic (TE) excitation of an ultrasonic (US) detector by backscattered laser radiation as a means of upgrading a single-modality photoacoustic (PA) microscope to dual-modality PA/US imaging at minimal cost. The upgraded scanning head of our dual-modality microscope consists of a fiber bundle with 14 output arms and a 32MHz polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) detector with a 34 MHz bandwidth (-6 dB level), 12.7 mm focal length, and a 0.

Photobleaching and phototoxicity of KillerRed in tumor spheroids induced by continuous wave and pulsed laser illumination.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate photobleaching of the genetically encoded photosensitizer KillerRed in tumor spheroids upon pulsed and continuous wave (CW) laser irradiation and to analyze the mechanisms of cancer cell death after the treatment. We observed the light-dose dependent mechanism of KillerRed photobleaching over a wide range of fluence rates. Loss of fluorescence was limited to 80% at light doses of 150 J/cm(2) and more.

Identification of layers in optical coherence tomography of skin: comparative analysis of experimental and Monte Carlo simulated images.

Background/purpose: The goal of the study is comparative analysis of the layers in OCT images and the morphological structure of skin with thick and thin epidermis.

Methods: We analyzed the difference between skin with thin and thick epidermis in two ways. The first approach consisted in determination of the thicknesses of layers of skin with thin and thick epidermis of different localizations from experimental OCT images.

Field-reversed bubble in deep plasma channels for high-quality electron acceleration.

We study hollow plasma channels with smooth boundaries for laser-driven electron acceleration in the bubble regime. Contrary to the uniform plasma case, the laser forms no optical shock and no etching at the front. This increases the effective bubble phase velocity and energy gain.

Conversion of an electromagnetic wave into a periodic train of solitons under cyclotron resonance interaction with a backward beam of unexcited electron-oscillators.

The possibility of the conversion of intense continuous microwave radiation into a periodic train of short pulses by means of resonant interaction with a beam of unexcited cyclotron electron oscillators moving backward is shown. In such a system there is a certain range of parameters where the incident stationary signal splits into a train of short pulses and each of them can be interpreted as a soliton. It is proposed to use this effect for amplitude modulation of radiation of short wavelength gyrotrons.

Elastographic mapping in optical coherence tomography using an unconventional approach based on correlation stability.

An approach to elastographic mapping in optical coherence tomography (OCT) using comparison of correlation stability of sequentially obtained intensity OCT images of the studied strained tissue is discussed. The basic idea is that for stiffer regions, the OCT image is distorted to a smaller degree. Consequently, cross-correlation maps obtained with compensation of trivial translational motion of the image parts using a sliding correlation window can represent the spatial distribution of the relative tissue stiffness.

Low- and high-frequency nonlinear acoustic phenomena in a magnesite.

The results of experimental and theoretical studies of nonlinear acoustic phenomena (amplitude-dependent losses, resonant frequency shifts, damping of weak ultrasonic pulses and their carrier frequency phase delay under action of a powerful low-frequency pumping wave as well as amplitude-phase self-action of the finite-amplitude ultrasonic pulses) in a magnesite rod are presented. Analytical description of the observed phenomena was carried out within the frameworks of the phenomenological state equations that contain low-frequency hysteretic nonlinearity and both high-frequency dissipative and elastic nonlinearity. From comparison of experimental and analytical amplitude-frequency dependences of nonlinear phenomena, the values of magnesite acoustic nonlinearity parameters were determined.

Active microwave pulse compressor using an electron-beam triggered switch.

A high-power active microwave pulse compressor is described that operates by modulating the quality factor of an energy storage cavity by means of mode conversion controlled by a triggered electron-beam discharge across a switch cavity. This Letter describes the principle of operation, the design of the switch cavity, the configuration used for the tests, and the experimental results. The pulse compressor produced output pulses with 140-165 MW peak power, record peak power gains of 16∶1-20∶1, and FWHM pulse duration of 16-20 ns at a frequency of 11.

Influence of cubic nonlinearity on accuracy of polarization transformation by means of a quarter-wave plate.

We consider the propagation of powerful laser radiation in an anisotropic medium with natural birefringence and cubic nonlinearity. By the example of a quarter-wave plate, we show theoretically and experimentally that, under the simultaneous influence of linear birefringence and nonlinearity, the accuracy of polarization transformation decreases in proportion to squared В-integral.

Theory of lidar method for measurement of the modulation transfer function of water layers.

We develop a method to evaluate the modulation transfer function (MTF) of a water layer from the characteristics of lidar signal backscattered by water volume. We propose several designs of a lidar system for remote measurement of the MTF and the procedure to determine optical properties of water using the measured MTF. We discuss a laser system for sea-bottom imaging that accounts for the influence of water slab on the image structure and allows for correction of image distortions caused by light scattering in water.

Criteria for pathology recognition in optical coherence tomography of fallopian tubes.

An increase of infertility and chronic pelvic pains syndrome, a growing level of latent diseases of this group, as well as a stably high percentage (up to 25% for infertility and up to 60% for the chronic pelvic pains syndrome) of undetermined origin raises the requirement for novel introscopic diagnostic techniques. We demonstrate abilities of optical coherence tomography (OCT) as a complementary technique to laparoscopy in diagnostics of fallopian tubes pathologies. We have acquired OCT images of different parts of fallopian tubes in norm and with morphologically proven pathology.

Regular and chaotic dynamics of a fountain in a stratified fluid.

In the present paper, we study by direct numerical simulation (DNS) and theoretical analysis, the dynamics of a fountain penetrating a pycnocline (a sharp density interface) in a density-stratified fluid. A circular, laminar jet flow of neutral buoyancy is considered, which propagates vertically upwards towards the pycnocline level, penetrates a distance into the layer of lighter fluid, and further stagnates and flows down under gravity around the up-flowing core thus creating a fountain. The DNS results show that if the Froude number (Fr) is small enough, the fountain top remains axisymmetric and steady.

Theoretical and experimental study of laser radiation propagating in a medium with thermally induced birefringence and cubic nonlinearity.

We consider a problem of laser radiation propagating in a medium with birefringence of two types: linear birefringence independent of intensity and polarization, and intensity and polarization dependent circular birefringence caused by cubic nonlinearity. It is shown theoretically and experimentally that the efficiency of the broadly employed method of linear depolarization compensation by means of a 90° polarization rotator decreases with increasing В-integral (nonlinear phase incursion induced by cubic nonlinearity). The accuracy of polarization transformation by means of a half-wave and a quarter-wave plate also decreases if В > 1.

Two-screen single-shot electron spectrometer for laser wakefield accelerated electron beams.

The laser wakefield acceleration electron beams can essentially deviate from the axis of the system, which distinguishes them greatly from beams of conventional accelerators. In case of energy measurements by means of a permanent-magnet electron spectrometer, the deviation angle can affect accuracy, especially for high energies. A two-screen single-shot electron spectrometer that correctly allows for variations of the angle of entry is considered.

Simulation of optical coherence tomography images by Monte Carlo modeling based on polarization vector approach.

Monte Carlo method is applied for simulation of 2D optical coherence tomography (OCT) images of skin-like model. Layer boundaries in skin model feature curved shape which agrees with physiological structure of human skin. The effect of coherence properties of probing radiation on OCT image formation and speckles in the detected OCT signal is considered.

Comparative study of tumor hypoxia by diffuse optical spectroscopy and immunohistochemistry in two tumor models.

The capabilities of diffuse optical spectroscopy for noninvasive assessing of oxygen status in experimental tumors have been demonstrated. Specific features of the distribution of total hemoglobin, oxygenated hemoglobin, deoxygenated hemoglobin, and blood-oxygen saturation were shown on two tumor models having different histological structure and functional characteristics. The results obtained by the optical technique were verified by immunohistochemical study of tissue samples marked with exogenous marker of hypoxia--pimonidazole.

Propagation of laser radiation in a medium with thermally induced birefringence and cubic nonlinearity.

A system of differential equations describing, neglecting diffraction, the propagation of laser radiation in a medium with birefringence and cubic nonlinearity is derived. It is shown that the efficiency of depolarization compensation by means of a 90 degrees polarization rotator or a Faraday mirror decreases with increasing B-integral (nonlinear phase incursion). Comparison of the effectiveness of the considered method in the case of incident linear and circular polarization showed that for the circular polarization the optimal angle of polarization rotator is different from 90 degrees and the degree of polarization is less than for the linear one.

Fluorescence diffuse tomography for detection of red fluorescent protein expressed tumors in small animals.

A fluorescence diffuse tomography (FDT) setup for monitoring tumor growth in small animals has been created. In this setup an animal is scanned in the transilluminative configuration by a single source and detector pair. To remove stray light in the detection system, we used a combination of interferometric and absorption filters.

Activity clusters in dynamical model of the working memory system.

A mathematical model of working memory is proposed in the form of a network of neuron-like units interacting via global inhibitory feedback. This network is capable of storing information items in the form of clusters of periodical spiking activity. Several sequentially excited clusters can coexist simultaneously, corresponding to several items stored in the memory.

Salt-induced protein phase transitions in drying drops.

Protein phase transitions in drying sessile drops of protein-salt-water colloidal systems were studied by means of optical and atom-force microscopy. The following sequence of events was observed during drop drying: attachment of a drop to a glass support; redistribution of colloidal phase due to hydrodynamic centrifugal stream; protein ring formation around the edge; formation of protein spatial structures inside a protein ring that pass into gel in the middle of the drop; salt crystallization in the shrinking gel. It was assumed that rapid drying of a protein ring over the circle of high colloidal volume fraction and low strength of interparticle attraction leads to formation of colloidal glass, whereas gel forms only in the middle of the drop at very low protein volume fraction and strong attraction between the particles.

Uncoated quartz resonator as a universal biosensor.

We studied dynamic processes in drying drops of model protein-salt solutions, using an uncoated quartz resonator as a biosensor. To measure these processes we developed a method based on recording the dynamics of the Acoustic-Mechanical Impedance (AMI) of a drop as it dried on the surface of a quartz resonator oscillating at a resonant frequency of 60 kHz. The aim of this work was to highlight the role of some components of serum in self-organization processes.

Mutually induced variations in dissipation and elasticity for oscillations in hysteretic materials: non-simplex interaction regimes.

Self-action and effects mutually induced by oscillations interacting in hysteretic media are investigated analytically and numerically. Special attention is paid to non-simplex processes for which presence of intermediate extrema results in appearance of minor nested loops inside the main hysteretic stress-strain loop. Non-simplex regimes are typical of interaction of excitations having different frequencies and amplitudes, but comparable strain rates.