Spatially multiplexed picosecond pulse-train generation in a 6 LP mode fiber based on multiple four-wave mixings.

We report on the generation of four spatially multiplexed picosecond 40 GHz pulse trains in a km long 6 LP multimode optical fiber. The principle of operation is based on the parallel nonlinear compression of initial beat signals into well separated pulse trains owing to intramodal multiple four-wave mixings. A series of four 40 GHz dual-frequency beatings at different wavelengths are simultaneously injected into the ${{\rm LP}_{01}}$LP01, ${{\rm LP}_{11}}$LP11, ${{\rm LP}_{02}}$LP02, and ${{\rm LP}_{12}}$LP12 modes of a 1.8 km long graded-index few-mode fiber. The combined effects of Kerr nonlinearity and anomalous chromatic dispersion lead to the simultaneous generation of four spatially multiplexed frequency combs, which correspond in the temporal domain to the compression of these beat signals into picosecond pulses. The temporal profiles of the output pulse trains demultiplexed from each spatial mode show that well-separated picosecond pulses with negligible pedestals are then generated.

Multiple modal and wavelength conversion process of a 10-Gbit/s signal in a 6-LP-mode fiber.

We demonstrate experimentally a simultaneous threefold modal and wavelength conversion process of a 10-Gbit/s On/Off keying signal in a 1.8-km long graded-index 6-LP-mode fiber. The principle of operation is based on a phase-matched inter-modal four-wave mixing phenomenon occurring between the fundamental mode and 3 higher-order modes of the fiber. The converted signals show well-opened eye-diagrams and error-free processing.

Four 45 Gbps PAM4 VCSEL based transmission through 300 m wideband OM4 fiber over SWDM4 wavelength grid.

We demonstrate successful transmission of four 45 Gbps PAM4 single-channels through OM4 multimode fibers (MMFs) and wideband MMF using a PAM4 PHY chip and four vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) with wavelengths ranging over short wavelength division multiplexing (SWDM) grid. Real-time bit error ratios (BERs) < 2 × 10-4 were achieved for all four 45 Gbps PAM4 SWDM grid channels over 100 m, 200 m, and 300 m of wideband OM4 MMFs. All four channel received PAM4 optical eyes are shown after propagating through 100 m, 200 m, and 300 m of wideband OM4 as well as 100 m and 200 m conventional OM4 MMFs. The measured BERs as a function of the inner eye optical modulation amplitudes (OMAs) are shown for all four SWDM grid channels. Inner eye OMAs ranged from -16.2 dBm to -13.5 dBm for different channels over different OM4 MMF types at the KP4 BER threshold of 2 × 10-4.

A methodological approach for the identification of arsenic bearing phases in polluted soils.

A methodological approach is used to characterize arsenic pollution in three soils and to determine arsenic speciation and association with solid phases in three polluted soils. HPLC-ICP-MS was used for arsenic speciation analysis, SEM-EDS and XRD for physical characterization of arsenic pollution, and sequential chemical extractions to identify arsenic distribution. Arsenic was concentrated in the finest size fractions also enriched in iron and aluminium. Total arsenic concentrations in soils are close to 1%. Arsenic was mainly present as arsenate, representing more than 90% of total arsenic. No crystallised arsenic minerals were detected by XRD analysis. SEM-EDS observations indicated arsenic/iron associations. Modified Tessier's procedure showed that arsenic was mainly extracted from amorphous iron oxide phase. The results of this methodological approach lead to predict the formation of iron arsenates in the case of one of the studied soils while arsenic sorption on iron amorphous (hydr)oxides seemed to be the determinant in the two other soils.

Mobility and adsorption capacity of Pb and Zn in a polluted soil from a road environment: laboratory batch experiments.

A study of the mobility of lead and zinc in a contaminated soil from a road environment was conducted in order to evaluate the risk of groundwater contamination due to rainwater infiltration. The mobility of trace metals was evaluated using single chemical extractions and single-element sorption experiments. The distribution of trace metallic elements on the various soil fractions investigated with the use of sequential extractions, both before and after single extraction or sorption experiments, enabled the monitoring of changes in their localization. Metals are slightly extracted by sodium chloride solutions. High extraction yield was obtained for lead using EDTA. Lead was removed from the "acid-soluble", "reducible" and "oxidizable" fractions. In contrast, zinc was less dissolved by means of complexation with EDTA, yet it showed very high sensitivity to variations in pH. Following single extractions, metals were redistributed in the "exchangeable" fraction. Sorption experiments evaluated the capacity of the soil to retain additional lead and zinc inputs. The results reveal that pH influences the sorption of these metals and the initial pollution present in the soil may induce desorption phenomena with respect to zinc. The high initial concentrations present in the soil do not seem to prevent the retention of additional metal in significant quantities. Added metals were located in the "exchangeable", "add-soluble" and "reducible" fractions.

Effect of solid surface composition on the migration of tributyltin in groundwater.

Tributyltin (TBT) is the most important organotin compound that has been introduced into aquatic ecosystems. A better understanding of its interactions with solid surfaces is essential to estimate the possibilities of TBT migration through subsurface environments. For this purpose, TBT sorption onto a porous matrix of natural origin, a quartz sand as an aquifer material, was studied at low concentration levels with a monodirectional model of column type allowing sequential investigation of sorption and desorption processes. Different treatments of the solid phase were performed by injecting alkaline solutions, NaOH at pH 10.8 or NaClO-NaCl at pH 11.5, by decreasing the ionic strength or by adding kaolinite to change the surface composition and properties. The removal of iron and aluminum (hydr)oxides from the sand surface did not affect so much the sorption (decrease in 14% as compared to sorption on the raw sand). The original use of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to control treatment efficiency and to characterize sand surface modifications permitted to relate TBT sorption onto the aquifer material to quartz, the main component of the sand, and clay minerals (mainly kaolinite) present at trace levels at the sand surface. A first attempt of transport modeling with these two surface sites showed the consistency of our assumption. Moreover, estimation of Langmuir-type constants showed that TBT sorption affinity for the quartz surface (KL = 26.7 L micromol(-1)) was much greater than for kaolinite (KL = 6.3 L micromol(-1)).

Arsenic characterisation in industrial soils by chemical extractions.

The purpose of this research was to find a reliable and easy to use method to characterise As in iron-rich industrial or mining site soils. In this objective classical sequential extraction schemes and single extractions with EDTA and phosphate solutions were used. Results showed that classical Tessier's scheme overestimated residual As. A scheme specific to anionic species was also not really suitable to evaluate As distribution in these iron-rich soils. A more complex scheme using specific iron reagents indicated a correlation between iron dissolution and arsenic leaching and these results were confirmed by single extractions with EDTA and oxalate solutions. Finally a simplified and less time consuming scheme was established, tested on diverse industrial soils and validated on a certified sediment reference material. It allowed evaluation in 24 hours of the easily extractable fraction, amount solubilized under reducing conditions and As strongly bound to the soil.

Speciation of arsenic and selenium compounds by HPLC hyphenated to specific detectors: a review of the main separation techniques.

This review deals with liquid phase separation of major arsenic and selenium species followed by element specific detection. It concerns papers published since 1980 and describing only currently used methods that were or could be applied to As and Se speciation in environmental matrices. Methods performances are compared on the basis of efficiency, rapidity, absolute and concentration detection limits and applicability to real world environmental samples.

[Evaluation of combination RU 486-laminaria tents-misoprostol-peridural anesthesia in second and third trimester induced abortions]. / Evaluation de l'association RU 486-laminaires-misoprostol-anesthésie péridurale dans les interruptions médicales de grossesse des 2e et 3e trimestres.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a new protocol for mid and third trimester medical termination of pregnancy using RU 486-misoprostol-epidural analgesia. DESIGN AND SETTING: Monocentric, prospective and descriptive study in a teaching hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty-three women undergoing legal induced abortion during the second and third trimester. Administration of 600 mg mifepristone 36 hours prior to laminaria tents. 48 hours after RU 486, misoprostol was orally given on a 3 hours basis. Epidural analgesia was systematically performed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Induction-abortion interval, median dose of misoprostol, maternal complications, number of fetal autopsies obtained within 24 hours. RESULTS: The mean induction abortion interval was 3 h for multiparas and 4.45 h for nulliparas. The median dose of misoprostol was 800 micrograms. A uterine rupture on a scarred uterus occurred. The rate of fetal autopsies in cases of malformations within 24 hours reached 96%. CONCLUSIONS: This protocol allows a safe, rapid, cheap and painless late termination of pregnancy, when compared to other protocols.

Determination of butyl- and phenyltin compounds in sediments by GC-FPD after NaBEt(4) ethylation.

A reliable and rapid speciation method for the simultaneous determination of butyl- and phenyltin species in sediment samples has been developed. Two extraction procedures are compared: methanolic hydrochloric acid (at four different concentrations) and ethanoic acid leaching. Derivatization is carried out by the one-step ethylation/extraction procedure using the sodium tetraethylborate reagent directly in aqueous phase in the presence of an isooctane layer. Analysis is performed by capillary gas chromatography hyphenated to flame photometric detection (GC-FPD). Detection limits range from 0.5 to 1.5 ng(Sn) g(-1)(dry weight). Analysis of environmental samples and certified reference materials demonstrate the accuracy of the analytical method.

Multielemental speciation of As, Se, Sb and Te by HPLC-ICP-MS.

An anion exchange HPLC-ICP-MS procedure allowing the simultaneous multielemental speciation analysis of arsenic, selenium, antimony and tellurium has been developed. Four arsenic species (As(III), As(V), monomethylarsonic acid and dimethylarsinic acid), two selenium species (Se(IV) and Se(VI)) may be determined in a single run as well as one antimony (Sb(V)) and one tellurium species (Te(VI)). Alternatively Sb and/or Te may be used as internal standards for As and Se speciation studies. Optimisation of ICP-MS conditions led to satisfactory relative (0.01 (Sb(V)) to 1.8 (Se(VI)) ng ml(-1)) and absolute detection limits (1-180 pg). Reproducibility ranged from 3.1 to 5.6% and the linearity was verified in the 0-200 ng ml(-1) range.

Long term behaviour and degradation kinetics of tributyltin in a marina sediment.

One-meter sediment cores sampled in a marina have been submitted to extensive characterization and organotin speciation. Geochemical homogeneity has been demonstrated. Butyltin species are present at all depths with a predominance of TBT or MBT in the upper or lower layers, respectively. Seasonal variations of butyltin compounds have been identified and together with a knowledge of local conditions we estimate the sediment layers represent 14 years of deposition. A first order multi-step kinetic model of the sequential degradation of TBT in, successively, DBT, MBT and Sn (IV) is proposed. The half-life of TBT was estimated (on a 14-year period) to be 2.1 years and those of DBT and MBT (on a 5-year period) 1.9 and 1.1 years, respectively.

How "blind" are double-blind placebo-controlled trials of benzodiazepine hypnotics?

This study examined the accuracy of insomnia patients and their treating physicians in rating whether an active hypnotic drug or a placebo was given in treatment. Forty older adults with primary insomnia were randomly assigned to either an active (temazepam) or a placebo condition using a double-blind strategy. Ratings of treatment conditions were obtained at 1 week (early treatment), 4 weeks (midtreatment), and 8 weeks (late treatment). Patients were able to accurately discriminate (beyond chance levels) between the active and placebo medications at the early (76.9% accuracy) and late treatment assessment timepoints (78.1% accuracy), but not at midtreatment (51.5% accuracy). Therapists, however, were able to make accurate discriminations at the late treatment assessment timepoint only (80% accuracy); early (69.2% accuracy) and midtreatment (47.2% accuracy) ratings did not exceed chance levels. Patients who had used hypnotic drugs prior to this trial were more accurate in their judgments of treatment conditions than those without prior exposure. The findings raise an important issue about the internal validity of the double-blind strategy, which may in fact be only a single-blind procedure.

Prolonged treatment of breast cancer cells with antiestrogens increases the activating protein-1-mediated response: involvement of the estrogen receptor.

At micromolar (pharmacological) concentrations, the action of tamoxifen on the proliferation of estrogen-dependent cells can be mediated not only by the estrogen receptor (ER), but also by other target molecules, such as protein kinase-C (PKC), which are easily inhibited by antiestrogens in cell-free experiments. By developing MTLN and MDT cell lines, in which any modulation of PKC activity is reflected by a variation of the expression of an activating protein-1 (AP-1)-controlled firefly luciferase gene, we investigated whether such antiestrogen inhibitory effects on PKC occurred in intact breast cancer cells. Firstly, in short term (4-h) treatment of both cell lines, antiestrogens only inhibited the 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate-induced luciferase activity at very high concentrations (30 microM). A cytolytic effect was also observed. Secondly, in prolonged (4-day) treatments of MTLN (ER-positive) cells, low antiestrogen concentrations (nanomolar) decreased the basal AP-1 response by about 2 and increased the 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate-stimulated AP-1 response by about 3-4. This stimulation was mediated by ER, because 1) dose-response curves established with tamoxifen and hydroxytamoxifen were in agreement with their affinity for ER; 2) when present with antiestrogens, estradiol abolished this phenomenon; and 3) this effect was not observed in MDT (ER-negative) cells. Such a latent activation of AP-1 pathway could appear in the course of breast cancer antiestrogen treatment, in conditions where natural PKC activators are abnormally produced with unexpected consequences on the results of a long term antiestrogen treatment.

[Modulation of cellular response expression during prolonged treatment with antiestrogens]. / Modulation de l'expression de réponses cellulaires lors d'un traitement prolongé par les antioestrogènes.

The effects of a prolonged antiestrogen treatment on two estrogen-dependent responses and an AP-1 response were studied on two cell lines derived from MCF-7 cells. 1) Hydroxytamoxifen specifically provoked an irreversible inactivation of a chimeric estrogen-dependent gene expression in less than 30 days. This process was estrogen receptor mediated and led to a cellular heterogeneity that was induced by the treatment and was not due to a cell selection process. A similar heterogeneity was also observed for the progesterone receptor expression but after a longer treatment time. The mechanism underlying this phenomenon is currently investigated. 2) After a four day treatment of cells with an antiestrogen, the phorbol ester inducible expression of a chimeric AP-1 response was stimulated by a factor 3-4. This stimulation was antiestrogen dose-dependent and suppressed by the presence of estradiol, which strongly suggested that estrogen receptor was involved. This was confirmed by the fact that the phenomenon was not observed in a cell line devoid of estrogen receptor. This result suggests a yet unknown mechanism by which an antiestrogen could have an agonistic property allowing hormone independence to appear. Both these phenomena show that new activities of antiestrogens may be evidenced after prolonged treatments with unexpected consequences on endocrine therapy.

Potentiation by cholesterol and vitamin D3 oxygenated derivatives of arachidonic acid release and prostaglandin E2 synthesis induced by the epidermal growth factor in NRK 49F cells: the role of protein kinase C.

We have previously demonstrated that oxysterols and calcitriol potentiate arachidonic acid (AA) release and prostaglandin (PG) synthesis when NRK cells (fibroblastic clone 49F) are activated by foetal calf serum. As serum is essential for a full oxysterol effect, we hypothesized that these compounds could act on one or more of the events triggered by serum growth factor binding to their specific receptors and leading to PLA2 activation; we showed that the oxysterol effect on AA release is synergistic with, but not fully dependent on, protein kinase C (PKC) activity and Ca2+ ion fluxes, suggesting that oxysterols could effect early events in the cell signalling pathway. In the present paper, we investigated the effect of some oxysterols and calcitriol on epidermal growth factor (EGF)-induced AA release and PGE2 synthesis in NRK cells. The clear potentiation of EGF effect by most of the oxygenated sterols--chiefly when polyoxidized--cannot be explained by a modification of EGF high affinity binding site number which was only moderately increased after a 4 h incubation of cells with these compounds, and moreover was not related to the ability of a given oxysterol to increase PLA2 activity; whatever the compound, the dissociation constant (Kd) of either a high or low affinity binding site was unchanged (respectively, 3.5 x 10(-11) M and 4.4 x 10(-10) M). Genistein, a known inhibitor of EGF receptor tyrosine kinase, changed neither the EGF effect on AA release nor its potentiation by oxysterol, whereas it inhibited PGE2 synthesis in both situations. PKC activation by phorbol ester TPA increased the effect of EGF alone as well as the oxysterol potentiating effect, whereas PKC down-regulation strongly decreased both of these effects, showing that both are dependent on PKC activity. Nevertheless staurosporine, a PKC inhibitor, did not reproduce the effects of PKC down-regulation on EGF activation: stimulatory when AA release was induced by EGF alone, inhibitory when AA release is induced by TPA alone, this compound did not modify the oxysterol potentiating effect. In conclusion, the potentiating effect of oxysterols on AA release seems to be exerted downstream to the growth factor receptor (as demonstrated here with EGF) and probably at the PKC level, but not exclusively.

Oxysterol activation of arachidonic acid release and prostaglandin E2 biosynthesis in NRK 49F cells is partially dependent on protein kinase C activity [corrected].

We previously demonstrated that the oxysterol potentiation of arachidonic acid release and prostaglandin biosynthesis induced by foetal calf serum activation of normal rat kidney (NRK) cells (fibroblastic clone 49F) was not related to a direct effect of oxysterols on cell free Ca2+ level. Since both Ca2+ variations and protein kinase C are involved in arachidonic acid release in some models, we looked for a possible modulation by protein kinase C in the oxysterol effect on arachidonic acid release. We show that when the phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA), a protein kinase C activator, was added to the culture medium, the oxysterol effect on arachidonic acid release and prostaglandin synthesis clearly increased. Moreover, the effect of TPA was dose-dependent and TPA EC50 (4 x 10(-9) M) was unchanged in the presence of the oxysterol. Preincubation of cells with TPA for 24 h prevented the arachidonic acid release induced by TPA alone, whereas the oxysterol effect was decreased but not abolished. In the absence of serum, TPA and ionomycin added together induced the same noticeable (arachidonic acid) release and PGE2 synthesis as serum alone. Nevertheless, the potentiating effect of cholest-5-ene-3 beta, 25-diol was much higher when serum itself was used to activate NRK cells than it was in the present serum-mimicking experimental conditions. Thus, the presence of growth factors is probably required to obtain a full oxysterol effect. We conclude that the oxysterol effect was synergistic with, but not fully dependent on, protein kinase C and Ca2+ ion fluxes, therefore oxysterols could affect earlier events triggered by serum growth factor binding to their cell membrane receptors.

Arachidonic acid release and prostaglandin biosynthesis in synchronized rat embryo fibroblasts.

Arachidonic acid (AA) release and prostaglandin (PG) biosynthesis were studied in rat embryo fibroblasts (R 129) synchronized by double thymidine-excess block. Whatever the culture medium was (medium 199 supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum (FCS) or 1% FCS plus 0.1% bovine serum albumin (BSA], AA release rapidly increased until the 4th hour of the cell cycle (S phase), remained on a plateau in G2M and G1 phases and did not increase again in the S phase of the following cell cycle. Time course and amplitude of AA release in synchronized cells did not differ from what it was observed after the simple renewal of the culture medium in asynchronous cells. So AA release seemed to be independent of the cell cycle. By contrast, PGE2 and PGF2 alpha biosynthesis clearly increased in the S phase of two consecutive cell cycles, indicating that cyclooxygenase activity and not phospholipase A2 activity vary according to the cell cycle.

Mechanism of the activation of arachidonic acid release by oxysterols in NRK 49F cells: role of calcium.

We previously demonstrated that oxysterols added to the culture medium of NRK 49F cells labelled with [14C] arachidonic acid potentiated arachidonic acid (AA) release and prostaglandin (PG) E2 biosynthesis induced by the activation of these cells with fetal calf serum (FCS). In the absence of FCS, oxysterols had no effect on AA release. As phospholipase (Plase) A2 activity is Ca2(+)-dependent, we investigated whether oxysterol potentiating effect on AA release was related to an effect of these compounds on cell Ca2+ concentration. In this paper, we show that the intensity of potentiation by oxysterol varies with the external cell Ca2+ concentration; when external Ca2+ is chelated by EGTA, the oxysterol effect persists, though it is decreased. The Ca2+ channel inhibitor nifedipine does not decrease the potentiating effect of 25-OH cholesterol, indicating that, if oxysterol favours Ca2+ entry into the cell, the nifedipine inhibited channel is not involved. At the usual concentration (5 micrograms/ml), oxysterols are not able to increase, immediately or after a short time of contact (90 min) the concentration of intracellular free Ca2+ ([Ca2+])i measured by fluorescence of Quin-2; at very high concentration of oxysterol (25 micrograms/ml), [Ca2+]i only slightly increases (+30%). The liberation of AA induced by cell activation with the Ca2+ ionophore ionomycin is also potentiated by 25-OH cholesterol. All these observations are not in favour of a proper effect of oxysterols on cell Ca2+ level.

Organo-tins in sediments and mussels from the Sado estuarine system (Portugal).

Analyses of methyl- and butyl-tin levels in freshwater, estuarine and marine sediments from the Sado estuarine system, and in mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) from its adjacent coast, have been performed in order to detect the contaminated areas. The main inputs of tributyl-tin (TBT), along with degradation products di- and monobutyl-tin (DBT and MBT), were detected in the estuarine zone, due to high discharge from shipyards located in this area. These levels are sometimes very high, ranging from 235 to 12,200 ng g(-1) total butyl-tins in sediments. Such inputs lead to higher bioconcentration values in mussels in the estuarine zone, as well as in a harbour located along the adjacent coast. The bioconcentration of organo-tins in mussel tissues could be enhanced in estuarine turbid waters, due to an ingestion of butyl-tins adsorbed onto fine particles, in comparison with non-turbid coastal waters. Debutylation processes occur in both sediments and mussel tissues; in organisms, these processes may lead to the formation of inorganic tin, which may be methylated differently according to the period of the year.