Two-dimensional deconvolution methods are proposed to deblur optical coherence tomography images. One employs a two-dimensional deconvolution with a matrix given by the product of the longitudinal and transversal point-spread functions as its kernel, which can be taken as the general point-spread function of an optical coherence tomography system. The other uses two one-dimensional deconvolutions with the longitudinal and transversal point-spread functions successively. It is shown that the two deconvolution methods can deblur the experimentally obtained optical coherence tomography images effectively.

We report, for the first time to our knowledge, a pulsed digital microholographic system with spatial angular multiplexing for recording the ultrafast process of the femtosecond order. The optimized design of the two sets of subpulse-train generators in this system makes it possible to implement a digital holographic recording with spatial angular multiplexing of a frame interval of the femtosecond order, while keeping the incident angle of the object beams unchanged. Three pairs of amplitude and phase images from the same view angle digitally reconstructed by the system demonstrated the ultrafast dynamic process of laser-induced ionization of ambient air at a wavelength of 800 nm, with a time resolution of 50 fs and a frame interval of 300 fs.

We propose systematic investigations of the electromagnetic enhancement by a single nano-groove in gold substrate. The impacts of the groove parameters and of the illumination conditions on the enhanced intensity are explored using a fully vectorial numerical method. The obtained data can be well predicted and explained by a simple Fabry-Perot model. By virtue of the semi-analytical model, we identify two main factors that enable giant electric-field enhancement in very narrow grooves: the Fabry-Perot resonance and the large wave impedance of the fundamental mode in the groove.

Recent research suggests that human umbilical cord derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) can be promising candidates for cell-based therapy. Since large population and high viability are generally required, detecting viability transitions of these cells is crucial for their population expansion and quality control. Here, as a non-invasive method, Raman micro-spectroscopy is applied to examine hUC-MSCs with different viability. Using peak fitting and statistic t-test, the Raman peaks with obvious differences between the cells with high viability (> 90%) and low viability (< 20%) are extracted. It is found that the C=O out of plane bending in thymine at 744 cm-1, symmetric stretching of C–C in lipids at 877 cm-1 and CH deformation in proteins at 1342 cm-1 show the most significant changes (p < 0.001). When the cell viability decreases, the intensities of the former two peaks are both about doubled while that of the latter peak reduces by about 30%. Based on these results, we propose that the viability of hUC-MSCs can be characterized by these three peaks. And their intensity changes can be understood from the model of excessive reactive oxygen species interacting with the bio-macromolecules.

A fast and efficient technique for profilometric measurement with a color-coded grating is proposed. Eight colors are used to code the grating, and each color represents only one logical state. There are 64 stripes in one period of the color grating, which is large enough for normal measurement. Compared with the previous techniques, it has the advantages of simple hardware without moving mechanical parts, single exposure for obtaining three-dimensional information, little influence from noise and from nonlinearity of the CCD camera on the measurement accuracy, and higher anti-color-blurring capability. The suggested technique is suitable for on-line inspection and dynamic measurement of moving objects.