There is a Diogo Jota performance that many Liverpool supporters will remember above all others.
In October 2022, with the Reds struggling badly for form, Jota and Co. came up against a Manchester City team that would go on to win a historic treble that season.
A month before the 2022 men’s World Cup – the tournament Jota later said was “one of his dreams” to play in – many players might have taken it easy for fear of injuring themselves.
Not Jota.
The Portuguese forward did not contribute a goal or an assist, but he played 100 minutes and battled to win the ball back on countless occasions. Liverpool won 1-0, but Jota’s tireless performance saw him go down with an injury in the final minute. He would go on to miss the World Cup.
With the tournament set to come around again next year, Jota would very likely have finally fulfilled that dream in 2026.
That opportunity, along with the far more important chance to experience life as a young father and newlywed, was cruelly snatched from the 28-year-old on Thursday morning when he and his brother, André Silva, died in a car crash in northwestern Spain.
Hunger and bravery
Maybe Jota would have avoided the injury against Manchester City if he had stayed out of the difficult tackles. But that is not the kind of player he was.
“The way he played the game was full of this sort of scampering energy. … He would hunt the ball down aggressively, and he’d hunt space down aggressively.” Neil Atkinson, CEO and host of The Anfield Wrap, told CNN Sports’ Amanda Davies.
Jota’s technical gifts – while remarkably apparent at times – were not on the level of those of some of his teammates. But it was that willingness to fight that made him such a popular figure on Merseyside, and the reason why it has been difficult to go to a Liverpool game in the last few years and not hear the crowd’s famous song for him.
“They loved that work ethic, that sheer desire, and the fact that he had almost a sense of mischief about him in the manner of his goals as well,” Atkinson said. “And I think that very much endeared him to the supporters.”
The Portuguese international was vocal about his philosophy of hard work on the pitch.
“As a fan – I was a fan myself – you want to see a player fighting for the club, for the badge that they both love,” he said in a video which was released by Liverpool on Thursday following the news of his death.
In pictures: Remembering Diogo Jota
But that tenacity was not just limited to his attitude on the field. As a young player struggling for games at one of the biggest clubs in the world – Atlético Madrid – the forward opted to join Wolverhampton Wanderers, a team which, at that time, was in the Championship, the second tier of English soccer.
His bravery was rewarded as he became one of the best players in the team, eventually signing for Liverpool in 2020.
It was at Liverpool where Jota appeared to find particular kinship with a city that, like him, has often had to fight.
In 1981, after riots began in Liverpool as a result of tensions between police and the Black community, then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was secretly urged by her finance minister, Geoffrey Howe, to pursue a policy of “managed decline” with reference to the city.
According to Howe, spending public money on the city would be like “trying to make water flow uphill.”
Eight years later, when the Hillsborough disaster claimed the lives of 97 Liverpool supporters at an FA Cup semifinal, the city once again felt the brunt of the establishment.
Both the local police and some sections of the British media blamed Liverpool fans. Despite tireless campaigning by the victims’ families, it would take until 2016 for an inquest to rule that those who died were unlawfully killed and that fan behavior did not cause or contribute to the disaster.
Liverpool is a club that has had more than its fair share of tragedy. Less than six weeks ago, a car rammed into a crowd of people at a parade to celebrate the club’s Premier League title win, injuring dozens of people, including children.
In the face of this latest tragedy Thursday morning, the city will once again come together to grieve.
“The only way to get through this is to get through it together,” Atkinson said.
The importance of that collectiveness was echoed by another Liverpool fan, Sally – who did not give her surname when she spoke to CNN Sports’ Matias Grez outside Anfield on Thursday.
“You stick together because that’s the only way it’s going to work,” she said. “That’s the community spirit. It’s not just Liverpool, it’s Everton as well. Rivalries aside, times like this everyone comes together. It doesn’t matter who you support.”
Indeed, among the hundreds of scarves, flowers and messages that were left for Jota and his brother outside Anfield, items laid by fans of Everton, Liverpool’s local rival, were visible.
“I’m not really a massive one for social media, so I hadn’t seen any of what I’m now seeing in front of me,” another supporter, Simon Walker, told CNN in reference to the tributes left at the stadium. “But I’m not surprised in the slightest because this is how this club and this city operates.”
To say that Jota – a man who grew up in a small town outside Porto, 886 miles (1426 kilometers) away – fit well in Liverpool would be an understatement.
That affinity extended to some of the less-Portuguese pastimes. In tribute posts on social media, former teammates Andy Robertson and Caoimhín Kelleher both referenced their surprise at Jota’s enjoyment of darts and horse racing, with Robertson even jokingly referring to him as “Diogo MacJota.”
“You could relate to him,” Sally, the Liverpool supporter who spoke to CNN, said Thursday. “You could tell he was a down-to-earth fella. He was very humble. He wasn’t showy-offy. He was just very much a family man.
“I think that’s what relates everyone in the city to him, because we’re all like a family.”
The funeral for the 28-year-old and his brother took place in their hometown of Gondomar on Saturday morning. The pain that their family, Jota’s wife and their three children are experiencing far exceeds that of those who marveled from afar at his performances on a soccer pitch.
But it is a testament to Jota’s spirit and tenacity that Liverpool too is grieving the loss of one of its most beloved sons.
Mature OT cybersecurity programs span beyond perimeter defenses, with an emphasis on deep visibility, continuous risk assessment, and strong governance reflecting the unique conditions and needs of OT (operational technology) environments. The roadmap accounts for legacy systems, scattered industrial installations, multilayer network segmentation, secure remote access to the plant, and asset inventories that are up to date, even as critical equipment ages. But most industrial companies are still stuck using legacy risk models designed for the way our systems used to be, rather than the way they are today. The question remains, however, is most, if not all, of the installed base is not hardened for modern threats, including ransomware, nation-state, and supply chain compromise, and leaves critical industrial environments at risk.
As cyber threats and attacks increasingly become physically and geographically charged, the responsibility for OT cybersecurity is being redrawn. Formerly the responsibility of control engineers and plant managers, OT security is now the responsibility of CISOs and enterprise security teams. This is not a smooth transition. For those environments that are intolerant of downtime, where production outages are not only cost-prohibitive but physically intolerable, the concept of chaos can seem like anathema to traditional security teams who have been weaned on IT-centric ‘patch and reboot’ playbooks. Even worse, these environments are not simple to secure while still servicing production workloads, requiring expertise, patience, and coordination.
Building OT cybersecurity programs must also deal with the pressure of cultural gaps between IT security practitioners and OT teams. Engineers may see security controls as impediments to safety or productivity, just as security teams may not recognize how arcane industrial systems are. These disconnects can throw even the most well-considered programs off track, creating a breach for attackers to take advantage of unguarded paths.
The CISOs, sometimes now charged with protecting OT, are ill-prepared to make this cross-cultural and technical leap. Policy updates will not be enough to ensure organizational success. Focusing on OT cybersecurity programs that require realizing the operational significance of cyber investments, investing in developing required skills, and leadership that understands the mission to keep production on, as well as recognizes the need for increases in protection as the threat environment continues to change. Anything less risks getting industrial cybersecurity mired in the past.
What makes a mature OT cybersecurity program?
Industrial Cyber reached out to industrial cybersecurity experts to explore what defines a mature OT cybersecurity program today. They also look into why so many industrial organizations still fall short of that standard.
Jeff Johnson, OT cyber program lead at MorganFranklin Cyber
Jeff Johnson, OT cyber program lead at MorganFranklin Cyber, told Industrial Cyber that a mature program should have holistic cybersecurity management that defines governance, roles, and process life cycles. It should follow a risk-based architecture using ISA/IEC 62443-3-2 for risk assessment and set security-level targets, with zoning and segmentation based on the Purdue Model or operational needs. Secure-by-design principles should be built into future architecture as a standard.
He also identified that throughout the ICS/OT lifecycle, product-level controls should enforce defense-in-depth, least privilege, and availability requirements, with security by design integrated into any new infrastructure from the outset. Finally, continual improvement through regular assessments, patching, monitoring, and incident readiness is essential.
On why most industrial organizations lag, Johnson pointed to legacy ecosystems that dominate with proprietary protocols and limited patching capabilities. OT teams are wary of changes that risk availability or safety… ‘This is the way we’ve always done it.’ He also added complexity and cost as formalizing cybersecurity management systems, asset inventories, segmentation, and secure procurement got pushed to the back burner. Additionally, these older devices are expensive and, in most cases, unnecessary in their eyes, from a productivity perspective.
Dino Busalachi director for OT cybersecurity at Barry-Wehmiller Design Group_
Dino Busalachi, director for OT cybersecurity at Barry-Wehmiller Design Group, told Industrial Cyber that mature programs share several key characteristics. Mature organizations typically adopt a security framework, such as NIST, IEC 62443, or NERC CIP, and integrate it across their operations.
He added that a critical gap often emerges when organizations fail to communicate their OT cyber strategy to key suppliers. CIO and CISO leadership need to build stronger relationships with original equipment manufacturers and system integrators, since these suppliers serve as the primary delivery teams responsible for bringing OT assets into manufacturing environments. Beyond designing and building these OT systems, they also handle ongoing support and maintenance, making their involvement essential.
Busalachi added that many IT departments have chosen their cybersecurity path without incorporating the broader OT ecosystem, both internally and externally. “This siloed approach prevents organizations from reaching the maturity level required to improve their cybersecurity programs effectively.”
Jason Rivera. Co-Founder & CEO, Cabreza
“A mature program is one with clear expectations, executive support, defined governance, collaborative culture, smart resourcing, dedicated OT security policies, controls and procedures, fit-for-purpose tools, measurable outcomes, a roadmap, and repeatability,” Jason Rivera, co-founder and CEO at Cabreza, told Industrial Cyber. “Any organization can get wrapped around the axle of one of those topics, but if they’re willing to collaborate, communicate, and compromise, maturity gains can be achieved.”
Kevin Kumpf, OT/ICS Strategist OT/ICS Strategist, Hard Hat Cybersecurity Services LLC
“What defines a mature OT cybersecurity program is having a grasp on the people, process, and technologies (including third parties) that make a business function in a safe and secure manner,” Kevin Kumpf, OT/ICS Strategist at Hard Hat Cybersecurity Services, told Industrial Cyber. “It includes C-Level leadership, IT, OT, change management, and third parties all working together and truly understanding the safety, availability, integrity, and confidentiality of their systems and their physical infrastructure.”
Kumpf said that most organizations have not achieved this because it is costly, and many organizations are outsourcing resource-driven driven using contractors to maintain systems and physical plants. “Outsourcing not only task-driven menial roles but also expertise-focused roles as well. While this produces cost savings on the bottom line, it sacrifices safety and security overall.”
Outdated risk models continue to weaken OT cybersecurity defenses
The executives address whether today’s OT cybersecurity programs are truly prepared to defend against modern threats like ransomware and nation-state attacks, or if they’re still relying on outdated risk models that can no longer keep up.
Johnson said that most organizations are in the process of rationalizing what OT means to their risk, business and bottom-lines, while ‘traditional OT verticals’ (utilities, etc.) tend to have more experience than most, the real challenge is creating space for a different kind of security within non-traditional verticals (healthcare, fintech, telecom, etc).
“This assumes that there is an OT cybersecurity program in place in the first place, focusing mainly on safety, downtime, and compliance, and underestimating cyber-physical attack vectors,” according to Johnson. “Modern threats have evolved fast: ransomware now includes extortion, disruption, and kinetic consequences. Gaps remain, as until ISA/IEC 62443 frameworks are fully applied, especially zones, monitoring, and SL-T enforcement, as many OT programs remain vulnerable.”
Busalachi sees a technology readiness vs. implementation issue, as cybersecurity technologies continue to advance and mature, but the problem lies with end users (asset owners) who are not moving the needle on implementation.
He added that proven frameworks remain valid. The SANS 5 OT Cybersecurity Critical Controls are not outdated and provide solid foundations, including defensible architecture, incident response, secure remote access, continuous monitoring, and vulnerability and risk management.
When it comes to critical visibility gaps, Busalachi identified that too many organizations fall short on OT asset discovery. “Many claim they want 100% visibility without understanding what this process truly means. There’s more to a plant than capturing only North-South traffic. The East-West traffic controls are equally critical for comprehensive security.”
Rivera said, “Unfortunately, probably not. A small manufacturer may be better equipped through a few smart, tactical decisions than a global distributor with politics, risk aversion, or special interests prevailing over site defense and resilience measures. This is what happens in the absence of meaningful, sector-specific standardization and benchmarking, apart from maybe the energy sector, with NERC-CIP.”
“That said, one issue with all the risk models is when they end up suggesting untenable efforts focused in one direction, causing the classic front door closed, back door wide open scenario,” he added. “That’s why I advocate for capability-based prioritization: Determining what can be done now, to get to next, and what can be done later, by when. The best equipped OT security programs are also built with achievability in mind, as well as risk reduction, and an unwavering tether to business and security resilience.”
Kumpf said that while the programs / regulatory standards themselves are attempting to align with cyber threats and risks, the organizations themselves are lacking a true understanding of what their risks truly are.
“As an example, while many organizations know what systems control OT resources, they do not have the depth of understanding on the interconnection of that system to others or how it impacts both upstream and downstream people, process, technologies, supply chain, etc.,” according to Kumpf. “Without clearly defined baselines, interconnectivity models, business risk quantifications, etc., there is no way to truly define a proper risk model.”
Industrial cybersecurity sees changing lines of responsibility
The executives examine who traditionally owns OT cybersecurity within industrial organizations, and how that ownership is shifting as cyber risks grow more physically and geopolitically charged.
“OT security historically has sat with plant engineering or operations teams—aligned to safety/process reliability. And from what I’m seeing, the majority still do,” Johnson said. “However, I do see a shift underway where CISOs, or embedded OT security leads, are now increasingly leading programs supported by cross-functional governance boards (OT Centers of Excellence in some cases).”
He added that cyber risk is rapidly merging with physical and geopolitically driven threats. Centralized cyber oversight ensures a coherent risk posture spanning IT, OT, supply chain, and geopolitical contingencies.
Busalachi said that ownership varies by sector. In critical infrastructure organizations, OT teams usually take responsibility for OT cybersecurity. However, they face significant challenges with limited resources and budget, especially in smaller organizations and municipalities.
He also identified an authority vs. responsibility disconnect. “IT departments may have cybersecurity responsibility, but they lack authority in OT environments. Ultimately, OT teams own the OT assets, not the other way around.”
From an engagement imperative, Busalachi said that IT leadership must decide whether to engage the OEMs and system integrators who are the primary deliverers of OT assets on the plant floor. “If these groups aren’t providing a clear path forward for their clients (OT asset owners), there’s a critical gap. IT is not currently engaging them effectively.”
“The CISO or CSO usually ‘owns’ programs, but that’s not to say they call every shot, or should. The most accountable and responsible parties need to listen, ask questions, and collaborate to prevent their program from dying on the vine,” Rivera said. “So, the evolved successful model of ownership is distributed between global security and the local, more operational teams.”
Kumpf said that cybersecurity risk is owned at the Board and C-suite level. “The C suite is responsible for the execution of the program, and in most organizations, this aligns to a CISO of IT. While some high areas of critical infrastructure (oil and gas, power, air and rail, etc) have an OT CISO, it is not the norm.”
“Implementation of the program resides with the plant manager or operational management of an OT area. There is a disconnect between this level and the levels above in nearly every organization I have worked with,” according to Kumpf. “There are not two communications, and this inhibits the true flow of information regarding physical and geopolitical risks. A CISO does not know where things are produced at the intimate level of a plant manager. A CISO does not understand the physical consequences of not having redundancy in core systems and why, in many instances, you cannot (digital twins are attempting to become a solution to this).”
Coping with cyber risk in downtime-averse OT environments
The executives explore how organizations are managing visibility and risk in legacy-heavy OT environments where downtime is intolerable and many assets remain difficult to identify.
Johnson said that organizations often start with asset inventory, using agentless discovery and network traffic analysis to map devices without disrupting operations. Risk-prioritized segmentation is then enforced through zoning and conduits to limit lateral movement.
In cases where patching is impossible, Johnson leaned towards hybrid compensating controls being deployed, including DMZs for devices that require both OT and IT access, along with firewall rules and other network-based protections. Finally, continuous monitoring and incident response provide situational awareness through network detection and response, anomaly detection, and response plans aligned with service-level agreements.
Busalachi said that maturity levels vary significantly, as less than 80% of organizations are mature enough to have developed comprehensive metrics. “Some sophisticated clients use Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) to benchmark and improve manufacturing productivity.”
He added that the OT cybersecurity value proposition is that many organizations fail to realize these technologies actually help prevent events that cause unplanned and unscheduled downtime, improving OEE and overall operational efficiency.
“Well, organizations with programs should have control (and compensating control) criteria and requirements established for asset, detection/monitoring, and risk management,” Rivera said. “They’re entity-level exercises with outcomes that can be iterated on as people and technologies change. But for the organizations that just passed ‘Go’ and grabbed a tool off the shelf, they’re probably not managing well.”
“The only absolute way you can resolve this is to walk the plant floor and take a physical inventory. Once that inventory is collected, you need to ensure it is given to an owner (not an outside third party) who will continually update, maintain, and control its existence,” according to Kumpf. “You need to understand the who, what, when, where, and why of the asset. Who owns it, what it does for the organization, when it is used (non stop running, once a week, etc.), where it is located and how it is connected/accessed, and why the organization needs it (can another device already in place do the same function or task). Lastly, you need to understand its BIA/BCP if that device has an event/issue.”
The executives look into the cultural disconnects that exist between operations and cybersecurity teams, and how these tensions impact the success or failure of security initiatives.
Using the ‘Apples and Oranges’ analogy, Johnson said that OT leaders emphasize uptime and safety; cyber teams emphasize defense and confidentiality. “Both are good on their own, but I don’t want warm orange juice with spices in the fall, or cold apple juice with my cereal in the morning.”
“OT sees cyber as a threat to physical continuity, especially when misconceived as IT-centric. Cyber side frames standards/tools in IT jargon, while OT values safety, functional continuity, and risk-driven practices,” according to Johnson. “This friction leads to stalled segmentation, delayed patching, and token compliance. Using ISA/IEC 62443 ‘s shared language—zoning, risk scores tied to operational impact, measurable controls—to translate requirements into operational benefits for both sides, you can bridge the gap and provide a win for everyone.”
Highlighting the visibility problem, Busalachi said that too often, “when visiting manufacturing facilities to tour plant floors (OT environments), it’s the first time many IT team members (infosec, networking) have been onsite. In many cases, they haven’t visited the plant in years or have never been on the plant floor to review industrial control system architecture, applications, infrastructure, and networks.”
He added that IT departments have significant blind spots related to OT environments. “The critical question is – what is IT’s relationship with internal OT teams and their third parties (vendors, OEMs, and system integrators)? If these relationships don’t exist, cybersecurity initiatives will inevitably fall short.”
“Disconnects in responsibilities, expectations, decisions, risks, and feedback loops are going to happen. They can become some of the most defining moments of an organization’s OT security journey,” Rivera said. “But they’re also where the juiciest work is, which pays off greatly for any organization serious about doing OT security the right way. It’s important to learn from them and continuously strengthen relationships. On that note, incentivization models go a long way.”
Noting that there is a disconnect between plant-level operations and the C-suite, Kumpf said that “They do not have a true voice or advocate at the table. People at the C-level are dollar and risk-driven. Can we do it cheaper (put things in the cloud, outsource, etc.) and by the need to automate security through instant patching, AI-driven threat mitigation, shutting down systems that are outdated?”
“I equate this to the vision of the smartphone in today’s world. Why do you need a phone, camera, computer, desk calendar, etc., when you can do it all in one device (IT thinking)? OT is not built like that,” Kumpf added. “You would not expect a photographer you hired at a special event to show up with a cell phone and begin to take pictures or a person you paid to build you a custom cabinet to just go to a home improvement store and buy one, and just add hardware you selected.”
He also mentioned that OT is driven by many unique processes and situations. “There is always room to improve and streamline, but every plant and OT operation is unique and with its own challenges. It is not a ‘one size fits all.’”
CISOs struggle to bridge IT-OT cyber divide
The executives assess whether CISOs are well-positioned to lead OT cybersecurity efforts or whether a cultural and technical divide between IT and OT still hinders effective leadership.
“CISO leadership is increasingly essential as they bring board-level visibility, governance expertise, and a holistic risk mindset,” Johnson said. “However, many CISOs lack deep OT fluency, without operational credibility, and OT teams resist their guidance.” He added that CISOs with dedicated OT deputies or cross-functional steering committees bridge domain knowledge gaps. “CISOs must speak OT’s language— connecting cyber measures to safety, reliability, and business continuity.”
Identifying that the clear answer is ‘no,’ Busalachi said that CISOs are not well-positioned to lead OT cybersecurity efforts if they’re not engaging the external OT ecosystem operating in their manufacturing facilities. “This engagement gap represents a fundamental barrier to effective OT cybersecurity leadership. The technical and cultural divide between IT and OT continues to hinder progress until leadership bridges these gaps through meaningful engagement with all stakeholders in the OT ecosystem,” he added.
Rivera said that barring a substantial rise in CSO surpassing CISO roles within industrial organizations, “the CISO is the best positioned to lead, even despite being classically trained in IT security first. If there is some great divide, that’s the CISO allowing that kind of culture to exist, and they need to address it.”
He concluded that every moment of division is really just a moment for collaboration that’s lost its way.
In a new study, researchers demonstrated long-term, non-invasive monitoring of blood sodium levels using a system that combines optoacoustic detection with terahertz spectroscopy. Accurate measurement of blood sodium is essential for diagnosing and managing conditions such as dehydration, kidney disease and certain neurological and endocrine disorders.
Terahertz radiation, which falls between microwaves and the mid-infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum, is ideal for biological applications because it is low-energy and non-harmful to tissues, scatters less than near-infrared and visible light and is sensitive to structural and functional biological changes.
“For biomedical applications, terahertz spectroscopy still faces two key challenges: detecting molecules other than water in complex biological samples and penetrating thick tissue layers to enable detection inside the body,” said research team leader Zhen Tian from Tianjin University in China. “By adding optoacoustic detection, we were able to overcome these challenges and demonstrate the first in vivo detection of ions using terahertz waves. This is an important step toward making terahertz-based techniques practical for clinical use.”
In Optica, Optica Publishing Group’s flagship journal for high-impact research, the researchers describe their new multispectral terahertz optoacoustic system and show that it can be used for noninvasive, long-term monitoring of sodium concentration in live mice without the need for any labels. Preliminary tests performed with human volunteers were also promising.
“With further development, this technology could be used to monitor sodium levels in patients without the need for blood draws,” said Tian. “The real-time sodium measurements could be used to safely correct imbalances in critical patients while avoiding dangerous neurological complications that can occur when sodium levels rapidly change.”
Using sound to cut the noise
The new work is part of a larger project aimed at advancing and implementing terahertz technology in the biomedical field using terahertz optoacoustic techniques. One key aim of the project is to reduce signal interference caused by water, which strongly absorbs terahertz radiation.
To overcome this interference, the researchers developed a modular system that irradiates the sample with terahertz waves. As the sample absorbs these waves, it vibrates the sodium ions connected to water molecules in the blood, creating ultrasound waves that are detected with an ultrasonic transducer. This technique, known as optoacoustic detection, converts the absorbed terahertz energy into sound waves for measurement.
“Terahertz optoacoustic technology represents a groundbreaking advancement for biomedical applications by effectively overcoming the water absorption barrier that has historically limited these applications,” said Tian. “The broader significance of this work extends far beyond blood sodium detection. This technology has the capability to identify various biomolecules — including sugars, proteins, and enzymes — by recognizing their unique terahertz absorption signatures.”
Tracking sodium without needles
To test their new system, the researchers showed that it could measure increases in blood sodium levels in blood vessels under the skin of living mice on the millisecond timescale for over 30 minutes. These measurements were taken from the ear, with the skin surface cooled to 8 °C to dampen the background optoacoustic signal from water.
The researchers also demonstrated that the terahertz optoacoustic system could quickly distinguish between high and low sodium levels in human blood samples. Finally, they noninvasively measured sodium ion levels in the blood vessels of the hands of healthy volunteers. They found that the detected optoacoustic signal from sodium was proportional to the amount of blood flow under the skin surface, even though measurements were collected without any skin cooling. While more work is needed, these results suggest that the system could be useful for non-invasive real-time monitoring.
The researchers say that adapting the system for human use will require identifying suitable detection sites on the human body — such as inside of the mouth — that can tolerate rapid cooling and allow strong signal detection with minimal water background noise. They are also exploring alternative signal processing methods that might make it possible to suppress water interference without the need for cooling, making the approach more practical for clinical diagnostics.
The Mamyshev oscillator (MO) is a type of fiber laser capable of producing high-energy laser pulses at a tunable repetition rate. It is a mode-locked laser which uses light travelling within a closed-loop cavity to produce laser emission. Harmonic mode-locking (HML) is an advanced form of mode-locking process where multiple laser pulses are produced within one round trip of light. MOs employing HML are used for several advanced applications such as optical communication, frequency metrology, and micromachining.
Despite increasing applications of HML MOs, understanding the light buildup dynamics of HML within these lasers is experimentally challenging. In a recent study published in Journal of Lightwave Technology, researchers from Hunan University, China have uncovered the buildup dynamics of HML in an all-fiberized erbium-doped MO. They successfully obtained HML pulse outputs of different orders. In these results, the signal-to-noise ratio of all harmonic pulse trains from the all-fiber MO exceeded 80 dB, demonstrating the high stability of the output. Moreover, they investigated the transient dynamics during the startup process of HML in the MO.
“The starting dynamics of HML in the MO, characterized by the time-stretch dispersive Fourier transform technique (TS-DFT) revealed that the generation of HML is not dominated by the splitting effect of the single pulse but the amplification of the multiple seeding pulses in the oscillator,” explains author Dr. Ning Li.
Using carefully designed experiments, the researchers identified five distinct ultrafast phases that occur between the injection of seed pulses into the laser cavity and the stable emission of HML pulses from the MO. These phases include relaxation oscillation, multi-pulses operation, pulse collapse reconstruction, unstable HML, and a stable HML state. Notably, the identified process of stable HML generation was different from the conventional pulse splitting effect thought to result in laser emission dynamics in MOs. The experimental findings were further supported using numerical simulations.
Using the TS-DFT technique, they monitored the spectra evolution within the MO cavity in real-time and performed a detailed analysis of the dynamic process during HML initiation. Observations revealed that the generation of HML in the MO was not dominated by the conventional single pulse splitting effect but rather by the amplification of multiple seeding pulses within the oscillator.
“Our experimental and simulation results showed that under these conditions, the initial seed pulses within the cavity evolve into stable independent pulses through processes such as gain amplification and energy redistribution, eventually leading to a stable HML state within the resonator,” observes Dr. Li. “Results from our study can deepen the understanding of HML operation in MOs, and may provide an active way to control the transient pulse dynamics in the high-performance ultrafast laser systems,” he adds.
Overall, this study has extended our understanding of light buildup dynamics in MOs, specifically for advanced lasers using HML. Furthermore, the study challenges the conventional understanding of the light buildup and emission process in MOs.
Besides clarifying the underlying physics, the insights offered by the study may lead to improved designs of MOs – advancing their use across several fields.
I guess it was on Lap 51 of the 1995 British GP at Silverstone that the penny finally began to drop. There’d been a false dawn five laps earlier, but now it looked like it really was going to happen.
Johnny Herbert – ‘The Imp’ as Perry McCarthy had christened him in F3 – was actually going to win a Grand Prix… and on his home ground to boot.
Winning at home is the greatest buzz. Just ask Lewis Hamilton, or Nigel Mansell.
Taiwanese singer Jay Chou bumped into his former co-star, Canadian actor Edison Chen, while both of them were in London recently. And their rare joint appearance together took fans down memory lane.
The two are best known for starring together in Hong Kong street racing film Initial D (2005). Chou, 46, played the lead Takumi Fujiwara, while Chen, 44, took on the role of Ryosuke Takahashi, leader of racing team Red Suns.
The film, based on the Japanese manga series of the same name, also starred Japanese actress Anne Suzuki, as well as Hong Kong actors Anthony Wong and Shawn Yue.
Edison Chen (left) and Jay Chou in Hong Kong street racing film Initial D (2005).
PHOTO: SHAW ORGANISATION
On July 4, Chou posted on Instagram two photos of him and Chen in front of Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara’s pictures. They were attending an exhibition of Nara’s artworks in London.
The Mandopop star also uploaded two movie stills of him and Chen in Initial D, and a fictional conversation between their two characters in the film.
Ryosuke Takahashi: Would you like to join my team?
Takumi Fujiwara: Sure!
Ryosuke Takahashi: You transfer 300 yuan via WeChat first!
Takumi Fujiwara: …………
“Transfer 300 yuan via Wechat” was a meme from a video clip which went viral online. A netizen claimed to have received a voice message request from Chen, which turned out to be a prank by someone else.
Chou’s post attracted more than 296,000 “likes” and has been shared more than 226,000 times as at July 6 afternoon.
The singer completed the Hong Kong leg of his Carnival World Tour on June 29. He then headed to Britain to watch the ongoing 2025 Wimbledon Championships in London with his wife, Taiwanese-Australian model-actress Hannah Quinlivan.
Chen, who was also in London watching the tennis competition, was in Taipei in December 2024 to attend Chou’s concert at the Taipei Dome.
Chou recently sparked speculation that he could have a role in Hong Kong director Stephen Chow’s new movie Women’s Soccer, after they posted on social media on July 2 a photo of them together.
Chou was seen in the picture with his foot on a soccer ball, with Chow mentioning his movie Shaolin Soccer (2001) in the post.
Actress Margaret John, who died in 2011, pictured in the doorway of the home where her character Doris lived in Gavin & Stacey
Gavin and Stacey enthusiasts have long flocked to Barry Island to have a nose at the show’s filming locations.
But now, fans of the much-loved comedy series have the chance to take it one step further, as the property which acted as the home of the show’s iconic character Doris has gone up for sale.
The two-bed mid-terrace on Trinity Street in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, neighbours the houses that also played host to Bryn and Gwen and Stacey.
But before you ask – no, it doesn’t come with a salad.
Sarah Lawrence
The property on Trinity Street neighbours is next door to the home where Gwen and Stacey lived in the show
Beloved Doris, played by the actress Margaret John, was a friend and next door neighbour of the Shipman family.
Following John’s death in 2011, the show featured a storyline that Doris had left the house to Gavin and Stacey in her will.
Doris was known for her frankness, as well as for refusing to make the salad for Neil the Baby’s christening.
Viewers may recognise the rooms inside the property from the 2019 Christmas special, when Gavin and Stacey hosted both families from Essex and Barry and extended the dining table into the living room.
The kitchen in particular saw some chaos, too, as Uncle Bryn had a meltdown over cooking Christmas dinner, and took to using walkie talkies to organise his timings and communicate with Gwen.
‘Where’s the salad?’
A video tour of the property, posted online by Chris Davies Estate Agents, has so far racked up nearly 40k likes, with one fan commenting: “That’s not Doris’ house, there is no talc in the bathroom.”
While several others asked the all important question: “Where’s the salad?”
Andrew Walton, managing director of the agency, said the interest had been “excellent as a result of the history in the property”.
But he added: “When you whittle it down to genuine enquiries and those that are financially qualified there is a much smaller number.”
Rightmove
Uncle Bryn communicated with Gwen using walkie talkies to make Christmas dinner during the 2019 Christmas special
Uncle Bryn’s house also went “viral” online when it went up for sale in 2023, with many fans getting excited at the thought of owning the ultimate memorabilia.
Yet some fans expressed their sadness at the latest sale, as they said it “really is the end” of the comedy show after its iconic Christmas finale in 2024.
But we all know, by rights, Doris’ house belongs to Nessa.
The research team, led by Professor Paul McNamee from the University of Aberdeen and collaborators from Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore and the University of Turin, analysed Understanding Society national data from January 2015 to March 2023 to compare results pre- and post-pandemic.
Researchers examined a range of health behaviours including fruit and vegetable consumption, alcohol use and physical activity as part of the study as well as comparing measures of mental health. They found that on both counts women were more negatively affected by the pandemic than their male counterparts.
The study found women reported fewer days of fruit consumption and smaller reductions in alcohol intake during the Covid pandemic.
READ MORE:
Psychological distress increased for both women and men during the pandemic, with women experiencing a greater rise. And the link between health behaviours and mental health weakened for women during the pandemic, with a healthy lifestyle no longer showing a significant connection to mental health.
In contrast, these relationships remained consistent for men. Prior to the pandemic, health behaviours offered greater protective benefits for women’s mental health, but during the pandemic, this protective effect became stronger for men.
Professor Paul McNamee who led the research at the University of Aberdeen said: “We found that women reported poorer overall changes in health behaviours than men during the pandemic. Specifically, women reported fewer days of fruit consumption and smaller reductions in alcohol intake. We also found that psychological distress increased for both women and men during the pandemic, with women experiencing a greater rise.”
Professor Paul McNamee led the research at the University of Aberdeen (Image: University of Aberdeen)
Dr Karen Arulsamy from Duke-NUS Medical School said: “The adverse changes in women’s health behaviours compared to men persist through to May 2023, suggesting longer-term effects were likely worsened by financial pressures during this period. It’s important we keep tracking these trends.”
Dr Silvia Mendolia from the University of Turin said: “Our study also shows that the pandemic considerably weakened the protective effect of health behaviours on mental health for women but not for men. For women, adopting a healthy lifestyle was strongly correlated with mental health before the pandemic, but this relationship was no longer significant during the pandemic.”
Professor McNamee concluded: “Although conducted using data before and during the pandemic, these findings still have relevance today – they suggest that at times of heightened stress, women from lower socio-economic backgrounds with caregiving responsibilities that limit their ability to maintain levels of social engagement face more challenges in engaging in healthier behaviours. Therefore, targeted interventions such as social prescribing, accessible through referral from primary care providers and other voluntary agencies, could be made more widely available.”
The research was funded by a research award from the Scottish Government Rural & Environmental Science and Analytical Services’ (RESAS) Strategic Research Programme 2022-27. Financial support was also provided by the University of Aberdeen and the Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government Health & Social Care Directorates.
The livewire scrumhalf, who scored two first-half tries in the Boks’ 42-24 victory, said that although the accolade was memorable, they had to go back to the drawing board and lift their standards significantly ahead of their next match.
The teams will meet again at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha on Saturday, 12 July, before the Boks wrap up their July campaign against Georgia at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit a week later on 19 July.
“It was special to be named man of the match and to score my first Test try, but for me, the most important thing is always to serve the team to the best of my ability,” said Van den Berg.
“We know we could have performed much better on the day, although we always expected it to be an arm wrestle, especially if one looks at some of Italy’s results in the last two seasons and the way they started the Six Nations.
“That said, it was exactly the match we needed to measure where we are compared to where we want to and need to be, so we took valuable lessons from the game.”
Looking forward to their next outing against the Azzurri on Saturday, Van den Berg said there was hard work ahead this week to raise the standard of their game immensely.
“Everyone now knows what Italy can do, and I don’t think the public will underestimate them again this week, but at the same time, we also know we were off the pace and that we need a massive step-up in all areas of our game,” said the nippy scrumhalf.
“We let ourselves down, and leaked three tries, which is not good enough, so we will go back to the drawing board tomorrow and do everything we can to rectify the areas that need to improve on because Italy and Georgia are both physical and passionate teams, and it is vital for us to get back on track.”
The Springboks departed for Gqeberha on Sunday and will begin their on-field preparations for the match on Monday.
