1,721,416 research outputs found
Early oogenesis in Xenopus laevis (Daudin) : ultrastructure and ribonucleic acid metabolism
No full textNovel optical fibre fabrication techniques for Yb-doped high-power fibre lasers and sensing applications
No full textThe work presented in this thesis reports on four novel techniques for fabricating speciality silica preforms and optical fibres. The project aims were to conceive new fabrication methods by adapting conventional Modified Chemical Vapour Deposition (MCVD) and optical fibre drawing equipment, and to demonstrate fibre devices for ytterbium (Yb)-doped high-power fibre lasers (HPFL) and optical sensing applications.Firstly, a new in-situ solution doping technique is presented for fabricating actively-doped fibre-preforms of complex design. The fabrication and characterisation of several multilayered rare-earth (RE)-doped fibres suitable for HPFL applications are reported, including an Yb-doped (>18,000ppm, by weight) fibre with a low effective-NA, which incorporates a pedestal refractive index profile and a unique aluminosilcate (Al:Si) inner-cladding. The vapour-phase deposition of RE ions in fibre-preforms has also been demonstrated using a novel chemical-in-crucible process that is intended for use with precursors of low volatility. Modifications to the standard MCVD setup were made which allows the dopant source to be placed within the substrate glassware and in close proximity to the reaction zone. Preforms with dopant concentrations of up to 25,000 ppm (by weight) of Yb3+ ions have been attained using an organometallic precursor, whilst passive Al:Si preforms containing >16mol% of Al have been achieved using gaseous aluminium chloride.A straightforward fabrication technique for producing silica suspended-core holey fibre (SC-HF) is also presented. The drawn fibre exhibits a relatively low optical loss (of 0.3 dB.m-1 at λ = 1550nm), and the high air-filling fraction, which was predicted as ~30% (for a core size of 0.8µm), is believed to the highest reported value at the time the work was undertaken. The sensing capability of SC-HF has been demonstrated by constructing an all-fibre acetylene-filled gas cell. The final experimental chapter describes the first example of a novel flat fibre concept. Extended lengths of low-loss planar glass substrates were produced using MCVD and conventional fibre drawing equipment. In combination with direct UV-writing, multifunctional planar waveguiding devices can be fabricated that are mechanically flexible. The potential of the flat fibre platform for sensing applications is discussed.The reported fabrication techniques have been implemented through the successful demonstration of several fibre devices suitable for Yb-doped HPFLs and optical sensing applications. The developed techniques have future potential in industry and manufacturing, and it is anticipated that the work presented will enable fibres with novel properties and glass compositions to be researched
Spotlight Commentary: What's new with the old drug aspirin in older adults?
Full text linkThe benefit‐to‐harm balance of aspirin has been further questioned
The National Confidential Enquiry into Perioperative Deaths 2000: then and now
No full textThe most recent National Confidential Enquiry into Perioperative Deaths shows that many recommendations of previous enquiries have been addressed. Postanaesthetic care facilities are an essential part of the resource requirements of major surgical patients
Bleomycin-induced Raynaud's phenomenon after single-dose exposure: risk factors and treatment with intravenous iloprost infusion
No full textCOVID-19’s Impact on Ethical Care
Full text linkThe unforeseen and exceptional challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic have placed a substantial strain on healthcare resources. Among the numerous ethical dilemmas brought to the forefront by this pandemic, one of the most significant is the potential necessity for healthcare systems to allocate limited critical care resources and modify treatment approaches for both urgent and routine medical issues. In doing so, they must carefully balance considerations of distributive justice and the protection of patients and healthcare professionals on one side, and individual benefit and autonomy on the other
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
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