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In this  paper, a high-power spectrally flat 2–5 μm supercontinuum (SC) laser is reported in a piece of As2S3 chalcogenide step-index fiber. A fluoride fiber-based SC laser which spans from 2–4.2 μm is used as the pump light. Two pump coupling systems between the fluoride and As2S3 fibers, one based on aspheric lens coupling and the other using all-fiber mechanical splicing are investigated. With the setup of aspheric lens coupling, the obtained SC laser has a 10 dB spectral bandwidth of 3000 nm spanning from 2050 to 5050 nm, corresponding to an average power of 57.6 mW. While with the all-fiber mechanical splicing, the 10 dB spectral bandwidth of the SC laser shrinks slightly, spanning from 2140 to 4980 nm range, but the average output power is further scaled to a record power of 97.1 mW. It is found that the dominant nonlinearities for continuous spectral broadenings in the As2 S3 fiber are self-phase modulation and stimulated Raman scattering in the normal dispersion regime. This paper presents an all-fiber mid-infrared SC laser with spectrum beyond 5 μm for the first time. It also offers a practical solution for robust and reliable high power 2–5 μm broadband fiber laser. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Unconsolidated sand, gravel and clay deposits near Beihai and in the Leizhou Peninsula in southern China form an unconfined aquifer, aquitard and a confined aquifer. Water and soil samples were collected from the two aquifers in the coastal Beihai area for the determination of chemical compositions, minerals and soluble ions. Hydrogeochemical modeling of three flow paths through the aquitard are carried out using PHREEQC to determine water–rock interactions along the flow paths. The results indicate that the dissolution of anorthite, fluorite, halite, rhodochrosite and CO2, and precipitation of potash feldspar and kaolinite may be occurring when groundwater leaks through the aquitard from the unconfined aquifer to the confined aquifer. Cation exchanges between Na and Ca can also happen along the flow paths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Operation of a wellfield tapping a deep-seated aquifer system depends upon the recharge from outside the aquifer system under the condition of exploitation. This kind of replenishment, however, is not learned until the wellfield is in operation and a quarry-pumping test is often needed in the investigation of the wellfield. A deep-seated confined aquifer consisting of Ordovician carbonates occurs in the Chezhoushan Syncline crossing the border of Tianjin and Hebei in northern China. The Ordovician aquifer is believed to receive recharge through leakage from the overlying Quaternary aquifer only in the northeastern part of the syncline. The Ninghebei wellfield is planned to produce 100,000 m3/day of groundwater from the Ordovician aquifer for water supply. A three-dimensional transient numerical model was established based on a hydrogeologic survey, especially a quarry-pumping test conducted in 2003. The model was calibrated with the water-level data of the quarry-pumping test and used to predict the future water-level changes that might result from the three proposed exploitation scenarios. A 20 year predictive simulation results indicate that hydraulic heads decline rapidly in the early months, decline slowly in the following years and reach a steady state in the late period with a maximum drawdown of 52.09 m under the maximum total withdrawal rate of 120,000 m3/day from the Ordovician aquifer, and that the infer-aquifer recharge through leakage from the Quaternary aquifer can balance the withdrawal rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of application of single-port thoracoscopy using the subxiphoid approach in anterior mediastinal tumor surgery., Methods: Between June 2014 and June 2016, a total of 108 patients (59 males, 49 females; mean age: 64.9±7.5 years; range, 45 to 79 years) with anterior mediastinal tumors were randomized into subxiphoid (experimental) or right chest (control) groups. Single-port thoracoscopy using the subxiphoid approach was performed in the subxiphoid group, while thoracoscopy using the right thoracic approach was performed in the control group. Preand postoperative pain stress indicators, Visual Analog Scale scores, quality of life scores, postoperative tumor recurrence, and five-year survival rates were compared between the groups., Results: There were no mortality or serious complications in either group. The mean Visual Analog Scale pain scores on postoperative Days 1 and 7 were 6.5±0.8 and 2.9±0.8 in the subxiphoid group, respectively, compared to 7.2±0.8 and 3.4±0.8 in the control group (p<0.05 for all), respectively. The mean quality of life scores on postoperative Days 1 and 7 were 81.5±5.0 and 79.3±7.7, respectively, in the subxiphoid group compared to 72.4±4.3 and 71.3±4.8 in the control group, respectively (p<0.05 for all). Postoperative pain and pain mediator indexes were lower in the subxiphoid group (p<0.05 for all). The postoperative tumor recurrence rates were 3.70% and 20.37% in the subxiphoid and control groups, respectively (p=0.008). The five-year survival rates were 85.2% and 63.0% in the subxiphoid and control groups, respectively (p=0.008)., Conclusion: Single-port thoracoscopy using the subxiphoid approach is technically feasible, safe, and effective in performing surgery for anterior mediastinal tumors with an intact capsule and a tumor diameter of ≤5 cm., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest: The authors declared no conflicts of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article., (Copyright © 2023, Turkish Society of Cardiovascular Surgery.)

A supercontinuum (SC) source spanning from 2 to 4 μm is demonstrated in As 2 S 3 -chalcogenide fibers pumped by a nanosecond supercontinuum pump source in the normal dispersion region. In this experiment, two pieces of 3-m-long step-index As 2 S 3 fiber with different core diameters of 7 μm and 9 μm are pumped by a 1.9-2.5 μm nanosecond supercontinuum source. The zero dispersion wavelengths are both beyond 6.6 μm, thus cascaded stimulated Raman scattering is believed to be the dominant mechanism responsible for spectral broadening. With a low peak pump power of ~2.9 kW, both of the output spectra have extended to 4 μm with enhanced power distribution in the MIR region. The maximum output power of the mid-infrared supercontinua is ~140 mW. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first supercontinuum extenting to 4 μm in an As 2 S 3 fiber pumped by shortwave-infrared SC pluses in the normal dispersion region.

By pumping a 1.7-m-long As 2 S 3 fiber at 2050 nm directly, a fiber-based mid-infrared supercontinuum (SC) source with an output power of 366 mW is demonstrated. This is the first experimental demonstration to obtain such a mid-infrared SC in a piece of chalcogenide fiber pumped at 2 μm directly. The cut-off wavelength of the As 2 S 3 fiber is 3.5 μm, indicating that it could support several modes at around 2 μm. It is found that nonlinear spectral broadening mechanisms in the few-mode chalcogenide fiber could be affected through adjusting the butt-coupling position. That is because different positions will excite different modes that correspondingly possess different nonlinearity and dispersion characteristics. When stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) corresponding to the excitation of the fundamental mode becomes dominant in this few-mode fiber, an efficient cascaded SRS-based SC is obtained with five Stokes peaks ranging from 2 μm to 3.4 μm. Results from numerical simulation are in accord with the experimental results, showing that it is feasible to obtain an SRS based mid-infrared SC in a step-index As 2 S 3 fiber by using a 2 μm high peak power picosecond laser to pump directly.

Objective: We investigated whether red cell distribution width (RDW) was associated with mortality in patients with acute pancreatitis (AP)., Design: A cross-sectional study., Setting: Patients with AP were recruited in the emergency department and healthy individuals were recruited in healthcare centre in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University., Participants: A total of 106 patients with AP and 204 healthy individuals were enrolled., Primary and Secondary Outcome Measures: Haematology and biochemistry results of the first test after admission were collected. The significance of the differences in RDW values among healthy individuals, non-survivors of patients with AP, and survivors of patients with AP was determined using one-way analysis of variance. Patients with AP were divided into three groups according to RDW tertiles. All patients with AP were followed up for at least 3 months. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and Kaplan-Meier analysis were used to evaluate RDW values to predict mortality of patients with AP., Results: The RDW values were non-survivors of patients with AP>healthy individuals>survivors of patients with AP. Patients with AP with the highest RDW tertiles had the lowest levels of Ca, total protein, albumin, haemoglobin, white and red blood cell count, but the highest mortality. The area under the ROC curve of RDW was 0.846 (95% CI 0.727 to 0.964, p<0.001). With a cut-off value of 14.2 for RDW, sensitivity and specificity of RDW to predict mortality were 75.0% and 89.8%, and Kaplan-Meier analysis showed an increase in probability of death with high RDW values., Conclusions: There is significant association between RDW and mortality of patients with AP., (Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.)