Effects of different levels of vitamin C on UV radiation-induced DNA damage

The Raman spectra of DNA in different levels of vitamin C with 10- and 30-min ultraviolet (UV) radiations were reported. The intensity of UV radiation was 18.68 W/m2. The experimental results proved that vitamin C could alone prevent UV radiation from damaging DNA, but the effects depended on the concentration of vitamin C. When the concentration of vitamin C was about 0.08-0.4 mmol/L, vitamin C decreased UV radiation-induced DNA's damage. When the concentration of vitamin C exceeded 0.4 mmol/L, vitamin C accelerated DNA's damage instead. Maybe the reason is that when DNA in aqueous solution is radiated by UV, free radicals come into being, and vitamin C can scavenge free radicals, so vitamin C in lower concentration can protect DNA. The quantity of free radicals is finite, when vitamin C is superfluous, free radicals have been scavenged absolutely and vitamin C is residual. Vitamin C is a strong reductant. When the mixture of DNA and residual vitamin C is radiated by UV, vitamin C reacts with DNA. The more residual vitamin C and the longer time of UV radiation, the more DNA is damaged.     

熔石英紫外激光初始损伤形态分析

采取355 nm激光脉冲辐照熔石英样品,利用Nomarski微分干涉差显微镜、原子力显微镜和扫描电子显微镜观测手段对前后表面产生的损伤点进行了观察分析。对前后表面损伤形态做出详细的描述和分类,从理论上对每种损伤类型产生的条件与机理做出推测。实验结果表明：熔石英前表面存在小麻点群损伤和星状裂纹损伤两种损伤形态,横向尺寸分别为0.8～2.5和1.0～5.5 μm;后表面存在小麻点群损伤、壳状剥离损伤和火山口3种损伤形态,损伤横向尺寸分别为0.48～1.33,4～20和12～30 μm。实验证明了1 μm尺度损伤点的产生与再沉积层密切相关。     

熔石英紫外激光初始损伤形态分析

 采取355 nm激光脉冲辐照熔石英样品,利用Nomarski微分干涉差显微镜、原子力显微镜和扫描电子显微镜观测手段对前后表面产生的损伤点进行了观察分析。对前后表面损伤形态做出详细的描述和分类,从理论上对每种损伤类型产生的条件与机理做出推测。实验结果表明：熔石英前表面存在小麻点群损伤和星状裂纹损伤两种损伤形态,横向尺寸分别为0.8～2.5和1.0～5.5 μm;后表面存在小麻点群损伤、壳状剥离损伤和火山口3种损伤形态,损伤横向尺寸分别为0.48～1.33,4～20和12～30 μm。实验证明了1 μm尺度损伤点的产生与再沉积层密切相关。     

EPR and UV spectroscopic investigations of sucrose irradiated with heavy-ion particles

Crystalline sucrose irradiated with C and Si ions is investigated with EPR and UV spectroscopy. Samples are treated at different doses of radiation in the region 20–300 Gy and linear energy transfer (LET) values of 39.6, 49 and 58 keV μm^?1 for C ions and 60 keV μm^?1 for Si ions. All samples exhibit identical EPR spectra due to radiation-induced stable sucrose radicals. At given constant LET the EPR signal responses are linear to the absorbed doses of Si and C ions. Water solutions of irradiated sucrose exhibit UV absorption maximum at 267 nm due to the product of radical recombination. The intensity of this band is stronger at irradiation with Si than with C ions. UV absorption is more sensitive to heavy-ion species irradiation than the EPR signals.     

EPR and UV spectrometry investigation of sucrose irradiated with carbon particles

Solid state/EPR (SS/EPR) dosimeters of carbon ions irradiated sucrose are studied with EPR, and their water solutions – with UV spectroscopy. Doses between 20 and 200 Gy are used with linear energy transfer (LET) values for carbon ions of 63, 77, 96 and 230 keV μm^?1. After irradiation all samples show typical for irradiated sucrose EPR and UV spectra. The obtained data are compared with those previously reported for nitrogen particles and gamma rays irradiated sucrose. The identical shape of both the EPR and UV spectra of irradiated with various type radiation samples suggests that generated free radicals are not influenced by the nature of radiation. The lack of difference in the line width of the separate lines or the whole EPR spectrum, obtained for gamma and heavy particles irradiation, suggests negligible spin–spin interaction among the radiation-generated free radicals in the samples. The linear dependence of the EPR response on the absorbed dose radiation is found to be higher when generated by gamma rays, than by the same absorbed dose of heavy particles. In addition, the EPR response for carbon ions is higher than that for nitrogen ions. Water solutions of irradiated sucrose exhibit UV spectrum with absorption maximum at 267 nm, attributed to the recombination products of free radicals. The UV band intensity depends on the absorbed dose radiation. The UV spectra obtained for carbon, nitrogen and gamma rays irradiated sucrose are also compared.     

In‐situ dispersion of ZrO2 nano‐particles coated with pentacene

Stable suspensions of pentacene functionalised ZrO₂ nano‐particles were synthesised using a microwave plasma process. The particles were dispersed in‐situ in ethylene glycol. The formation of coated particles with small cores and a well defined size in the range of 3–5 nm was shown by X‐ray diffraction. In difference to resublimed pure pentacene, suspensions of the coated nano‐particles remained stable for weeks, as confirmed by the observation of a small aggregate size in dynamic light scattering. Thin films of the particles on Si based substrates were obtained by drop‐casting. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Nanoparticle production by UV irradiation of combustion generated soot particles

Laser ablation of surfaces normally produce high temperature plasmas that are difficult to control. By irradiating small particles in the gas phase, we can better control the size and concentration of the resulting particles when different materials are photofragmented. Here, we irradiate soot with 193 nm light from an ArF excimer laser. Irradiating the original agglomerated particles at fluences ranging from 0.07 to 0.26 J/cm² with repetition rates of 20 and 100 Hz produces a large number of small, unagglomerated particles, and a smaller number of spherical agglomerated particles. Mean particle diameters from 20 to 50 nm are produced from soot originally having a mean electric mobility diameter of 265 nm. We use a non-dimensional parameter, called the photon–atom ratio (PAR), to aid in understanding the photofragmentation process. This parameter is the ratio of the number of photons striking the soot particles to the number of the carbon atoms contained in the soot particles, and is a better metric than the laser fluence for analyzing laser–particle interactions. These results suggest that UV photofragmentation can be effective in controlling particle size and morphology, and can be a useful diagnostic for studying elements of the laser ablation process.     

In situ 2-D piezoelectric wafer active sensors arrays for guided wave damage detection

This paper presented development work of an in situ method for damage detection in thin-wall structures using embedded two-dimensional ultrasonic phased arrays. Piezoelectric wafer active sensors were used to generate and receive guided Lamb waves propagating in the plate-like structure. The development of a generic beamforming algorithm that does not require parallel ray assumption through using full wave propagation paths is described. A virtual beam steering method and device, the embedded ultrasonic structural radar, was implemented as a signal post-processing procedure. Several two-dimensional configurations were investigated and compared with beamforming simulation. Finally, rectangular shape arrays were developed for verifying the generic formulas and omnidirectionality. The rectangular arrays yield good directionality within the 360° full range and are able to detect damage anywhere in the entire plate.     

Optical and luminescence characteristics of BaF2 and BaF2:Tm in vacuum UV and UV spectral regions

The spectral characteristics of BaF₂ and BaF₂:Tm crystals and ceramics are compared. The vacuum UV (VUV) and UV absorption spectra and excitation spectra of core-valence and exciton luminescence are investigated. The main exciton and electron-hole processes responsible for the structure of recorded spectra are considered.     

Production ofψ particles in N-N collisions and largeP T phenomenon

We calculate the yield ofψ (3105) particles in N-N collisions in a model which associates the production of heavy particles with largeP _T phenomenon. Our results show thatψ (3105) has a fairly strong coupling to other hadrons. We propose a criterion in the search for charmed particles and a parametrization for the expected yields of such particles.     

Emission of large-p T particles inp-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus collisions

The observed dependence of the yield of highpT particles on the atomic numberA of the target and the incident energy, inp-a, a-a andp-nucleus collisions, is explained in a coherent tube model.     

Two localized CO2 laser treatment methods for mitigation of UV damage growth in fused silica

Two methods：high-power,short-time,single-shot irradiation（Method A） and low-power,long-time,multi-shot irradiation（Method B） are investigated to mitigate the UV damage growth in fused silica by using a 10.6-μm CO2 laser.To verify the mitigation effect of the two methods,the laser induced damage thresholds（LIDTs） of the mitigated sites are tested with a 355-nm,6.4-ns Nd：YAG laser,and the light modulation of the mitigation sites are tested with a 351-nm continuous Nd：YLF laser.The mitigated damaged sites treated with the two methods have almost the same LIDTs,which can recover to the level of pristine material.Compared with Method A,Method B produces mitigated sites with low crater depth and weak light modulation.In addition,there is no raised rim or re-deposited debris formed around the crater edge for Method B.Theoretical calculation is utilized to evaluate the central temperature of the CO2 laser beam irradiated zone and the radius of the crater.It is indicated that the calculated results are consistent with the experimental results.     

Secondary structure of T2 intraphage DNA: a spectrophotometric study

Summary Relevant differences in the spectral properties (in the (230÷320) nm range) between intraphage and free T₂ DNA are reported in this work. These differences are very similar to the variation in absorption obtained for a native DNA solution when thepH is lowered starting from the neutral value. On this basis, cytosine protonation in intraphage DNA is hypothesized. To speed up publication, the authors of this paper have agreed to not receive the proofs for correction.     

UV laser irradiation of IR laser generated particles ablated from nitrobenzyl alcohol

Particles generated by 2.94 μm pulsed IR laser ablation of liquid 3-nitrobenzyl alcohol were irradiated with a 351 nm UV laser 3.5 mm above and parallel to the sample target. The size and concentration of the ablated particles were measured with a light scattering particle sizer. The application of the UV laser resulted in a reduction in the average particle size by one-half and an increase in the total particle concentration by a factor of nine. The optimum delay between the IR and UV lasers was between 16 and 26 μs and was dependent on the fluence of the IR laser: higher fluence led to a more rapid appearance of particulate. The ejection velocity of the particle plume, as determined by the delay time corresponding to the maximum two-laser particle concentration signal, was 130 m/s at 1600 J/m² IR laser fluence and increased to 220 m/s at 2700 J/m². The emission of particles extended for several ms. The observations are consistent with a rapid phase change and emission of particulate, followed by an extended emission of particles ablated from the target surface.     

Shape control of CdTe nanocrystals synthesized in presence of in situ formed CdO particles

The shape of semiconductor nanocrystals synthesized with wet-chemical approaches in many cases can be controlled by the concentration and the activity of the precursors. In this study, we introduce a possibility to influence these two factors in the colloidal synthesis of cadmium telluride nanoparticles synthesized in the presence of in situ generated cadmium oxide particles. By changing the composition of the solvent (a mixture of oleylamine and octadecene), different shapes of CdTe nanocrystals can be synthesized. In reactions with higher oleylamine concentration, we observed the formation of elongated nanoparticles: nanorods (~14?nm length) and nanowires (several hundred nm long), while CdTe nanodots formed, if octadecene was used in excess. Formation of CdTe in octadecene and oleylamine as solvent was studied by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Based on these results, the influence of the solvent composition on the shape of the nanocrystals was attributed to the interplay of several factors, such as enhancement of the carboxylate precursor activity in the presence of an amine and the possibility of the formation of additional Cd monomers by the dissolution of CdO. At later stages of the reaction with high oleylamine content, also oleic acid depletion, leading to a destabilization of the particles, influences the shape of the resulting nanocrystals and lead to the formation of nanowires.     

Fabrication of microchip based on UV transparent polymer for DNA electrophoresis by F2 laser ablation

A microchip for DNA electrophoresis made of a new UV transparent polymer material (CYTOP) whose absorption edge is much shorter than 190 nm has been fabricated by F₂ laser ablation. F₂ laser ablation achieves high-quality microfabrication of CYTOP surface with little deterioration of the optical property and little debris deposition at etched area. The microchip in which the microchannel connected with two reservoirs was embedded was successfully fabricated by bonding the ablated sample to the virgin CYTOP sheet. The fabricated microchip was applied for DNA analysis by electrophoresis and succeeded in separating different base-pares (bp) of DNA from 50 to 766 bp with resolution of 100 bp. PACS 42.70.Jk; 52.38.Mf; 82.45.-h     

In situ observation of cascade damage under heavy ion irradiation

Abstract

Collision cascades initiated from high energy PKAs produce defect clusters in crystalline solids irradiated with fast neutrons or energetic ions. They will affect not only an early stage of microstructural evolution but that at high fluence by changing free defect survival rate. To elucidate fundamental processes of cascade damage evolution, in situ observation of microstructure in FCC metals under heavy ion irradiation has been carried out using a combined facility of a 400 kV accelerator and a 200 kV transmission electron microscope installed in the University of Tokyo, Tokai. Defect clusters produced by individual energetic ions are observed during irradiation to examine subcascade formation, interaction of point-defects from cascade damage and related point-defect processes.     

In situ observation of carbon-nanopillar tubulization caused by liquidlike iron particles

The tubulization process of amorphous carbon nanopillars was observed in situ by transmis-sion electron microscopy. Amorphous carbon nanopillars were transformed into graphitic tubules by annealing at 650-900 degrees C in the presence of iron nanoparticles. A molten catalyst nanoparticle penetrated an amorphous carbon nanopillar, dissolving it, and leaving a graphite track behind. An iron nanoparticle moved with its shape changing like an earthworm. We concluded that the tubulization mechanism is a solid-(quasiliquid)-solid mechanism where the carbon phase transformation is a kind of liquid phase graphitization of amorphous carbon catalyzed by liquefied metal-carbon alloy nanoparticles.     

Ion-induced electron production in tissue-like media and DNA damage mechanisms

This work is the first stage in the development of an inclusive approach to calculation of the DNA damage caused by irradiation of biological tissue by ion/proton beams. The project starts with an analysis of ionization caused by the projectiles and the characteristics of secondary electrons produced in tissue-like media. We consider interactions with the medium on a microscopic level and this allows us to obtain the energy spectrum and abundance of secondary electrons as functions of the projectile’s kinetic energy. The physical information obtained in this analysis is related to biological processes responsible for the DNA damage induced by the projectile. In particular, we consider double strand breaks of DNA caused by secondary electrons and free radicals, and local heating in the ion’s track. The heating may enhance the biological effectiveness of electron/free radical nteractions with the DNA and may even be considered as an independent mechanism of DNA damage. Numerical estimates are performed for the case of carbon-ion beams. The obtained dose-depth curves are compared with results of the MCHIT model based on the GEANT4 toolkit.