Effect of shorter pulse duration in cochlear neural activation with an 810-nm near-infrared laser.

Optical neural stimulation in the cochlea has been presented as an alternative technique to the electrical stimulation due to its potential in spatially selectivity enhancement. So far, few studies have selected the near-infrared (NIR) laser in cochlear neural stimulation and limited optical parameter space has been examined. This paper focused on investigating the optical parameter effect on NIR stimulation of auditory neurons, especially under shorter pulse durations. The spiral ganglion neurons in the cochlea of deafened guinea pigs were stimulated with a pulsed 810-nm NIR laser in vivo. The laser radiation was delivered by an optical fiber and irradiated towards the modiolus. Optically evoked auditory brainstem responses (OABRs) with various optical parameters were recorded and investigated. The OABRs could be elicited with the cochlear deafened animals by using the 810-nm laser in a wide pulse duration ranged from 20 to 1000 µs. Results showed that the OABR intensity increased along with the increasing laser radiant exposure of limited range at each specific pulse duration. In addition, for the pulse durations from 20 to 300 µs, the OABR intensity increased monotonically along with the pulse duration broadening. While for pulse durations above 300 µs, the OABR intensity basically kept stable with the increasing pulse duration. The 810-nm NIR laser could be an effective stimulus in evoking the cochlear neuron response. Our experimental data provided evidence to optimize the pulse duration range, and the results suggested that the pulse durations from 20 to 300 µs could be the optimized range in cochlear neural activation with the 810-nm-wavelength laser.

Short-wavelength infrared laser activates the auditory neurons: comparing the effect of 980 vs. 810 nm wavelength.

Research on auditory neural triggering by optical stimulus has been developed as an emerging technique to elicit the auditory neural response, which may provide an alternative method to the cochlear implants. However, most previous studies have been focused on using longer-wavelength near-infrared (>1800 nm) laser. The effect comparison of different laser wavelengths in short-wavelength infrared (SWIR) range on the auditory neural stimulation has not been previously explored. In this study, the pulsed 980- and 810-nm SWIR lasers were applied as optical stimuli to irradiate the auditory neurons in the cochlea of five deafened guinea pigs and the neural response under the two laser wavelengths was compared by recording the evoked optical auditory brainstem responses (OABRs). In addition, the effect of radiant exposure, laser pulse width, and threshold with the two laser wavelengths was further investigated and compared. The one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to analyze those data. Results showed that the OABR amplitude with the 980-nm laser is higher than the amplitude with the 810-nm laser under the same radiant exposure from 10 to 102 mJ/cm2. And the laser stimulation of 980 nm wavelength has lower threshold radiant exposure than the 810 nm wavelength at varied pulse duration in 20-500 µs range. Moreover, the 810-nm laser has a wider optimized pulse duration range than the 980-nm laser for the auditory neural stimulation.

Tunable KTA Stokes laser based on stimulated polariton scattering and its intracavity frequency doubling.

This paper presents the tunable Stokes laser characteristics of KTiOAsO4 (KTA) crystal based on stimulated polariton scattering (SPS). When the pumping laser wavelength is 1064.2 nm, the KTA Stokes wave can be discontinuously tuned from 1077.9 to 1088.4 nm with four gaps from 1079.0 to 1080.1 nm, from 1080.8 to 1082.8 nm, from 1083.6 to 1085.5 nm, and from 1085.8 to 1086.8 nm. When a frequency doubling crystal LiB3O5 (LBO) is inserted into the Stokes laser cavity, the frequency-doubled wave can be discontinuously tuned from 539.0 to 539.5 nm, from 540.1 to 540.4 nm, from 541.3 to 541.8 nm, from 542.7 to 542.9 nm and from 543.4 to 544.2 nm. With a pumping pulse energy of 130.0 mJ and an output coupler reflectivity of about 30%, the obtained maximum Stokes laser pulse energy at 1078.6 nm is 33.9 mJ and the obtained maximum frequency-doubled laser pulse energy at 543.8 nm is 15.7 mJ. By using the most probably coupled transverse optical modes obtained from the literature, the polariton refractive indexes, and the simplified polariton Sellmeier equations, the polariton dispersion curve is obtained. The formation of the Stokes frequency gaps is explained.

Single frequency MOPA based on Nd:YAG single crystal fiber and rods.

We demonstrate a single frequency 1064 nm master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) system operating in macro-micro pulse scheme. The repetition rate for the macro pulses was 300 Hz with pulse duration of 300 µs. Micro pulses operated at 25 kHz. The master laser was a single-longitudinal-mode electro-optically Q-switched Nd:YAG laser with an output power of 250 mW and pulse duration of 33 ns. Three stages of power amplifiers based on Nd:YAG single crystal fiber and rods were designed. The final output power reached 31.3 W with pulse duration of 30 ns and linewidth of less than 130 MHz. Micro pulse energy of 13.9 mJ was obtained with a peak power of up to 464 kW. The beam quality factors (M2) were measured to be 1.56 and 1.76 in horizontal and vertical directions, respectively.

Pulsed 980 nm short wavelength infrared neural stimulation in cochlea and laser parameter effects on auditory response characteristics.

BACKGROUND: Auditory neural stimulation with pulsed infrared radiation has been proposed as an alternative method to activate the auditory nerves in vivo. Infrared wavelengths from 1800-2150 nm with high water absorption were mainly selected in previous studies. However, few researchers have used the short-wavelength infrared (SWIR) for auditory nerve stimulation and limited pulse parameters variability has been investigated so far. METHODS: In this paper, we pioneered to use the 980 nm SWIR laser with adjustable pulse parameter as a stimulus to act on the deafened guinea pigs' cochlea in vivo. Pulsed laser light was guided through the cochlear round window to irradiate the spiral ganglion cells via a 105 µm optical fiber, and then the laser pulse parameters variability and its influence to auditory response characteristics were studied. RESULTS: The results showed that the optically evoked auditory brainstem response (OABR) had a similar waveform to the acoustically induced ABR with click sound stimulus. And the evoked OABR amplitude had a positive correlation, while the OABR latency period showed a negative correlation, with the laser pulse energy increase. However, when holding the laser peak power constant, the pulse width variability ranged from 100 to 800 µs showed little influence on the evoked OABR amplitude and its latency period. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that 980 nm SWIR laser is an effective stimulus for auditory neurons activation in vivo. The evoked OABR amplitude and latency are highly affected by the laser pulse energy, while not sensitive to the pulse width variability in 100-800 µs range.

Performance analysis of the beam shaping method on optical auditory neural stimulation in vivo.

Previous research has shown that infrared neural stimulation (INS) could be an alternative approach to evoke auditory neural activities. The laser beam property of the fiber output is a considerable aspect of INS, and the corresponding effects on auditory responses in vivo deserve further discussions. The paper presents a beam-shaped infrared laser stimulation method of auditory nerves. Pulsed 980-nm fiber-coupled laser systems were used as the radiant sources. The gradient reflective index (GRIN) lens was added at the port of the optical fiber as a beam shaping structure. The laser spot sizes and properties between the beam-shaped output and the bare fiber output were preliminarily analyzed by a laser beam profiler. And further experiments in vivo with four deafened adult guinea pigs were conducted. Optically evoked auditory brainstem responses (OABRs) of the animal samples were recorded and compared under the two output configurations. The results show a decrease of the beam divergence compared to a bare output fiber, and the INS with a beam shaping design evokes above 13 % increase on OABR amplitudes than the bare fiber output, especially when enlarging the distance between the optical fiber and the nerve tissue. The beam shaping design can enhance the effect of INS for evoking auditory nerves, and it could be an optimized design in the future implementation of optical cochlear implants.

Characterization of photosystem I from spinach: effect of solution pH.

Our previous work has demonstrated the isolation of photosystem I (PSI) from spinach using ultrafiltration with a final purity of 84%. In order to get a higher purity of PSI and more importantly to develop a practical bioseparation process, key physiochemical properties of PSI and their dependence on operational parameters must be assessed. In this study, the effect of solution pH, one of the most important operating parameters for membrane process, on the property of PSI was examined. Following the isolation of crude PSI from spinach using n-dodecyl-beta-D: -maltoside as detergent, the isoelectric point, aggregation size, zeta potential, low-temperature fluorescence, atomic force microscopy imaging, secondary structure, and thermal stability were determined. Solution pH was found to have a significant effect on the activity, aggregation size and thermal stability of PSI. The results also suggested that the activity of PSI was related to its aggregation size.

A novel membrane based process to isolate photosystem-I membrane complex from spinach.

The isolation of photosystem-I (PS-I) from spinach has been conducted using ultrafiltration with 300 kDa molecular weight cut-off polyethersulfone membranes. The effects of ultrafiltration operating conditions on PS-I activity were optimized using parameter scanning ultrafiltration. These conditions included solution pH, ionic strength, stirring speed, and permeate flux. The effects of detergent (Triton X-100 and n-dodecyl-beta-D-maltoside) concentration on time dependent activity of PS-I were also studied using an O(2) electrode. Under optimized conditions, the PS-I purity obtained in the retentate was about 84% and the activity recovery was greater than 94% after ultrafiltration. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the isolation of a membrane protein using ultrafiltration alone.

Purification and characterization of a hyperthermostable Mn-superoxide dismutase from Thermus thermophilus HB27.

Thermostable Mn-dependent catalases are promising enzymes in biotechnological applications. In the present study, a Mn-containing superoxide dismutase of the hyperthermophilic Thermus thermophilus HB27 had been purified and characterized by a two-stage ultrafiltration process after being expressed in E. coli. The enzyme was highly stable at 90°C and retained 57% activity after heat treatment at 100°C for 1 h. The native form of the enzyme was determined as a homotetramer by analytical size exclusion chromatography and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The final purified enzyme had an isoelectric point of 6.2 and a high α-helical content of 70%, consistent with the theoretical values. This showed that the purified SOD folded with a reasonable secondary structure.

Enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose in a membrane bioreactor: assessment of operating conditions.

The optimization of operating conditions for cellulose hydrolysis was systemically undertaken using an ultra-scaled down membrane bioreactor based on the parameter scanning ultrafiltration apparatus. The bioconversion of cellulose saccharification was carried out with freely suspended cellulase from Aspergillus niger as the biocatalyst. The polyethersulfone ultrafiltration membranes with a molecular weight cutoff of 10 kDa were used to construct the enzymatic membrane bioreactor, with the membrane showing a complete retaining of cellulase and cellobiase. The influence of solution pH, temperature, salt (NaCl) concentration, presence of cellobiase, cellulose-to-enzyme ratio and stirring speed on reducing sugar production was examined. The results showed that the addition of an appropriate amount of NaCl or cellobiase had a positive effect on reducing sugar formation. Under the identified optimal conditions, cellulose hydrolysis in the enzymatic membrane bioreactor was tested for a long period of time up to 75 h, and both enzymes and operation conditions demonstrated good stability. Also, the activation energy (E(a)) of the enzymatic hydrolysis, with a value of 34.11 ± 1.03 kJ mol(-1), was estimated in this study. The operational and physicochemical conditions identified can help guide the design and operation of enzymatic membrane bioreactors at the industrial scale for cellulose hydrolysis.

Effect of Fiberoptic Collimation Technique on 808 nm Wavelength Laser Stimulation of Cochlear Neurons.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of fiberoptic collimation technique on auditory neural stimulation in the cochlea with 808 nm wavelength lasers. BACKGROUND DATA: Recently, the pulsed near-infrared lasers in the 800-1000 nm wavelength range have been investigated as an emerging technique to trigger auditory neural response in the cochlea. A laser beam divergence in the optical stimulation pathway exists, which may affect stimulation efficiency and spatial selectivity. METHODS: The fiberoptic collimation technique was proposed for cochlear neuron stimulation, and the C-lens element was designed as the collimation structure. The spiral ganglion cells in deafened guinea pigs' cochlea were irradiated with collimated and uncollimated near-infrared lasers. Optically evoked auditory brainstem response (OABR) under the two laser output modes were recorded. RESULTS: Laser with the collimation technique evoked an average 58% higher OABR amplitude than the uncollimated laser output. In addition, the collimated laser setup consumed on average 35.2% of laser energy compared with the uncollimated laser when evoking the same OABR amplitude. CONCLUSIONS: The fiberoptic collimation technique improved stimulation efficiency and reduced stimulating energy consumption in near-infrared neural stimulation in cochlea. The positive effects of laser collimation technique could benefit further research in optically based cochlear implants.

High-Energy Faceted SnO2-Coated TiO2 Nanobelt Heterostructure for Near-Ambient Temperature-Responsive Ethanol Sensor.

A SnO2 gas sensor was prepared by a two-step oxidation process whereby a Sn(II) precursor was partially oxidized by a hydrothermal process and the resulting Sn3O4 nanoplates were thermally oxidized to yield SnO2 nanoplates. The SnO2 sensor was selective and responsive toward ethanol at a temperature as low as 43 °C. This low sensing temperature stems from the rapid charge transport within SnO2 and from the presence of high-energy (001) facets available for oxygen chemisorption. SnO2/TiO2 nanobelt heterostructures were fabricated by a similar two-step process in which TiO2 nanobelts acted as support for the epitaxial growth of intermediate Sn3O4. At temperatures ranging from 43 to 276 °C, the response of these branched nanobelts is more than double the response of SnO2 for ethanol detection. Our observations demonstrate the potential of low-cost SnO2-based sensors with controlled morphology and reactive facets for detecting gases around room temperature.

Recycling cellulase from enzymatic hydrolyzate of acid treated wheat straw by electroultrafiltration.

This work explores the feasibility of recycling cellulase by electroultrafiltration (EUF), an ultrafiltration process enhanced by an electric field, to reduce the cost of enzymatic transformation of cellulose. The effect of electric field under different operating conditions (buffer concentration, acid treated wheat straw concentration, current and temperature) on flux during EUF was examined. The results showed that EUF was effective to reduce concentration polarization (CP) and enhance filtration flux in recycling cellulase. The flux improvement by the electric field could be strengthened at low buffer concentration (5 mM) and relatively low temperature (room temperature) and high current (150 mA). The flux for 2% (substrate concentration, w/v) lignocellulosic hydrolyzate increased by a factor of 4.4 at 836 V/m and room temperature, compared to that without electric field. This work shows that under appropriate operating conditions EUF can efficiently recycle cellulase from lignocellulosic hydrolyzate and thus substantially reduce hydrolysis cost.

A novel matrix derivatized from hydrophilic gigaporous polystyrene-based microspheres for high-speed immobilized-metal affinity chromatography.

Agarose coated gigaporous polystyrene microspheres were evaluated as a novel matrix for immobilized-metal affinity chromatography (IMAC). With four steps, nickel ions were successfully immobilized on the microspheres. The gigaporous structure and chromatographic properties of IMAC medium were characterized. A column packed with the matrix showed low column backpressure and high column efficiency at high flow velocity. Furthermore, this matrix was used for purifying superoxide dismutase (SOD), which was expressed in Escherichia coli (E. coli) in submerged fermentation, on an Äkta purifier 100 system under different flow velocities. The purity of the SOD from this one-step purification was 79% and the recovery yield was about 89.6% under the superficial flow velocity of 3251 cm/h. In conclusion, all the results suggested that the gigaporous matrix has considerable advantages for high-speed immobilized-metal affinity chromatography.

Production of cold-adapted amylase by marine bacterium Wangia sp. C52: optimization, modeling, and partial characterization.

The aim of this work was to optimize the fermentation parameters in the shake-flask culture of marine bacterium Wangia sp. C52 to increase cold-adapted amylase production using two statistical experimental methods including Plackett-Burman design, which was applied to find the key ingredients for the best medium composition, and response surface methodology, which was used to determine the optimal concentrations of these components. The results showed starch, tryptone, and initial pH had significant effects on the cold-adapted amylase production. A central composite design was then employed to further optimize these three factors. The experimental results indicated that the optimized composition of medium was 6.38 g L(-1) starch, 33.84 g L(-1) tryptone, 3.00 g L(-1) yeast extract, 30 g L(-1) NaCl, 0.60 g L(-1) MgSO(4) and 0.56 g L(-1) CaCl(2). The optimized cultivation conditions for amylase production were pH 7.18, a temperature of 20°C, and a shaking speed of 180 rpm. Under the proposed optimized conditions, the amylase experimental yield (676.63 U mL(-1)) closely matched the yield (685.60 U mL(-1)) predicted by the statistical model. The optimization of the medium contributed to tenfold higher amylase production than that of the control in shake-flask experiments.

Passively Q-switched ceramic Nd3+:YAG/Cr4+:YAG lasers.

Passively Q-switched ceramic Nd3+:YAG lasers with ceramic Cr4+:YAG saturable absorbers are demonstrated. When the lasers are pumped by a 1-W cw laser diode, optical-optical efficiency as great as 22% is obtained with Cr4+:YAG of initial transmission ranging from 94% to 79%. The results are similar to those in their crystalline counterparts. The operation of Brewster's angle and the polarization state of the laser output are also investigated.

36-W diode-pumped continuous-wave 1319-nm Nd:YAG ceramic laser.

Continuous-wave output at 1319 nm was obtained from a laser-diode-pumped 1% ceramic Nd:YAG laser. As much as 36.3-W output was obtained under pump power of 290 W, with an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 12.5%.