Non‐thermal plasma‐induced apoptosis in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The effect of non‐thermal plasma generated by the direct current (DC) corona discharge in the mode of transition spark is studied on a yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The exposure to plasma increases production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cells, possibly causing the induction of apoptosis. To clarify the mechanism of apoptosis, its induction is tested not only on a wild strain of S. cerevisiae, but also on mutant strains: A deletion mutant Δyca1 without yeast metacaspase proves that in S. cerevisiae the apoptosis occurs partly by the caspase‐independent pathway. A petite strains with mutation in the mitochondria do not show pronounced ROS formation, but in spite of this, apoptosis is detected. Hence, mitochondrial ROS probably do not play an important role in induction of apoptosis.     

Review on ionization and quenching mechanisms of Trichel pulse

Trichel pulse is a kind of pulsed mode in negative DC corona discharge, which has attracted significant attention because of its considerable applications in industry. Over eighty years, plenty of effort including simulations and experiments has been spent to reveal the ionization and quenching mechanisms of Trichel pulse. By revisiting and summarizing the basic characteristics and well-accepted ionization and quenching mechanisms, this review provides a basic understanding and the current status of Trichel pulse.     

Micro-pinch formation and extreme ultraviolet emission of laser-induced discharge plasma

Extreme ultraviolet(EUV) source produced by laser-induced discharge plasma(LDP) is a potential technical means in inspection and metrology. A pulsed Nd:YAG laser is focused on a tin plate to produce an initial plasma thereby triggering a discharge between high-voltage electrodes in a vacuum system. The process of micro-pinch formation during the current rising is recorded by a time-resolved intensified charge couple device camera. The evolution of electron temperature and density of LDP are obtained by optical emission spectrometry. An extreme ultraviolet spectrometer is built up to investigate the EUV spectrum of Sn LDP at 13.5 nm. The laser and discharge parameters such as laser energy, voltage, gap distance,and anode shape can influence the EUV emission.     

Non‐vacuum field desorption ion source implemented under super‐atmospheric pressure

Standard field desorption (FD) ionization is implemented under high vacuum condition. In this paper, non‐vacuum FD is performed under a super‐atmospheric pressure environment using untreated tungsten wires as FD emitter, and the ion source was coupled to a commercial linear ion trap mass spectrometer. The operating pressure of the ion source was 6 bars which was high enough to provide sufficient dielectric strength to the working gas so that the high voltage that was required for FD could be applied to the emitter without occurrence of electrical discharge. Non‐volatile sample deposited on the bare tungsten wire FD emitter was heated by flowing direct current through the emitter. Similar to vacuum FD, the formation of conical protrusion of the liquefied sample layer under the strong electric field was also observed. Using the present ion source, high pressure field‐desorption of polar neutral compounds, organic salts and ionic liquids is demonstrated. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Magneto-Galvanic Resonances in Hollow Cathode Discharge Lamps

The galvanic behavior of a hollow cathode discharge versus an external weak magnetic field is investigated. The application of this field leads to disordering of the self-aligned states, which is detected as a resonance in the discharge current, named the magneto-galvanic signal. A correlation magneto-galvanic signal–operating voltage-current point is established and attributed to Penning ionization. The contribution of the metastable Ne I 1 s₅ to the magneto-galvanic resonance is also verified.     

Determination of Malathion Using Corona Discharge – Ion Mobility Spectrometry with Solid-Phase Microextraction

A corona discharge (CD) ion mobility spectrometer combined with solid-phase microextraction was constructed. The detection limit and stability of the system for malathion detection were improved using a novel sample introduction port through which the sample desorption was performed in high-temperature drift tube and the sample was introduced directly to the ionization area. The working parameters of the distance between CD needle tip and carrier gas outlet, the drift tube and carrier gas temperature, the carrier gas flow, and the voltage on CD needle were selected. When the extraction time for standard malathion was set to 5?min, the detection limit was 0.96?µg?L^?1 based on thrice the baseline noise, the linear range was 50–500?µg?L^?1, the correlation coefficient was approximately 0.9941, and the relative standard deviation was below 10%. Malathion-spiked lake water samples were analyzed using the developed system and the recovery was 92–102%. This method is suitable for the rapid detection of organophosphorus pesticide residues.     

Macrokinetic study on ozone boundary concentration. Effect of temperature

The process of ozone production in pure oxygen using the tubular, high voltage pulse supplied ozonizer was studied. The unusual methodology of conducting kinetics measurements of the ozone synthesis process was presented. It was shown how the process rate changes along the discharge gap. The effect of power density and gas residence time in the discharge gap on the process rate was analysed. The temperature influence on the course of the process, particularly on the ozone boundary concentration and ozone decomposition rate constant, was discussed.     

Ultrafast Excited State Dynamics of t~rans-4-Aminoazobenzene Studied by Femtosecond Transient Absorption Spectroscopy

The ultrafast excited state dynamics of trans-4-aminoazobenzene （trans-4-AAB） in ethanol was investigated by femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. After being excited to the S2 state by 400 nm, trans-4-AAB decays from the S2 state to the hot S1 state by internal conversion with time constant of -70 fs. The photoisomerization through inversion mechanism on the S1 potential energy surface and the internal conversion from the S1 state to the hot So state are observed, respectively. The average timescale of these two decay pathways is -0.7 ps. And the vibrational cooling of the hot So state of cis- and trans-4- AAB occur with time constants of -4 and N13 ps, respectively. Furthermore, the ultrafast intersystem crossing process are also observed. The timescale of intersystem crossing from the S2 state to the T4 state is about 480 ps while from the S1 state to the T2 state is -180 ps.     

Novel chemical synthesis of polypyrrole thin film electrodes for supercapacitor application

Present investigation describes the cost-effective, novel and simple chemical synthesis of polypyrrole (PPy) thin films for supercapacitor application. These PPy films are characterized by different techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The XRD pattern reveals the amorphous nature of PPy thin film, which is highly feasible for supercapacitors. Further, FTIR study confirms the formation of PPy. The surface morphological study exhibit the coverage of uniform and smooth morphology on thin film. The electrochemical supercapacitive properties of PPy thin films are evaluated using cyclic voltammetry (CV) in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ electrolyte, which exhibits the maximum specific capacitance of 329 Fg⁻¹ at the scan rate of 5 mV s⁻¹. Additionally, an equivalent series resistance (ESR) of PPy thin films is found to be 1.08 Ω using electrochemical impedance measurement.     

辉光放电质谱技术应用进展

对辉光放电质谱(GDMS)在金属与半导体、非导体、薄层与深度分析、分子信息分析方面的应用和一些新装置、新方法进行了综述.着重介绍了近20年来我国学者在辉光放电质谱方面的成就,并结合国际上的报道对该领域的发展现状进行了总结.