Paleodiet characterisation of an Etrurian population of Pontecagnano (Italy) by Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS) and Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS)(#)

Human bones recovered from the archaeological site of Pontecagnano (Salerno, Italy) have been studied to reconstruct the diet of an Etrurian population. Two different areas were investigated, named Library and Sant' Antonio, with a total of 44 tombs containing human skeletal remains, ranging in age from the 8th to the 3rd century B.C. This time span was confirmed by 14C dating obtained using Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) on one bone sample from each site.Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS) was used to extract information about the concentration of Sr, Zn, Ca elements in the bone inorganic fraction, whilst stable isotope ratio measurements (IRMS) were carried out on bone collagen to obtain the delta13C and delta15N. A reliable technique has been used to extract and separate the inorganic and organic fractions of the bone remains.Both IRMS and AAS results suggest a mixed diet including C3 plant food and herbivore animals, consistent with archaeological indications.     

The effect of data scaling on dual prices and sensitivity analysis in linear programs

In many practical situations scaling the data is necessary to solve linear programs. This note explores the relationships in translating the sensitivity analysis between the original and the scaled problems.     

Factors contributing to the deterioration of DODCI

A number of factors contributing to the deterioration of the optical absorption of DODCI (3,3'-diethyloxadicarbocyanine iodide) were investigated. The rate of deterioration of the absorption properties of DODCI was significantly increased when solutions of DODCI were placed in contact with brass and aluminum. Contact with stainless steel and ambient room light did not significantly increase the rate of deterioration of the optical absorption of DODCI.     

Fission rate of singlet excitons in a tetracene crystal measured with picosecond laser pulses

The fluorescenve lifetime of a tetracene crystal at room temperature was measured directly using picosecond techniques. The value obtained was 145±50 psec. The risetime of the fluorescence was <10^?11 sec. The singlet exciton fission rate at infinite temperature is ?10¹³ sec^?1 and is attributed to the hopping rate of triplet excitons in the crystal.     

Spectroscopic study of chromium-doped transparent calcium germanate glass-ceramics

The optical properties of transparent chromium-doped glass-ceramics with the chemical composition similar to that of cunyite (Cr⁴⁺:Ca₂GeO₄) laser crystal were investigated. Room and low temperature absorption, excitation, fluorescence and Raman spectroscopy, as well as lifetime measurements were used to develop a model for the optical centers in the glass and nanocrystals. Parent (as quenched) glass does not exhibit any fluorescence; after the heat treatment Cr⁴⁺ fluorescence band appears at ∼1280 nm. Optical properties of nanocrystals formed in the glass-ceramics differ from those in the bulk single crystal Ca₂GeO₄. By comparison of Ca₂GeO₄ - like glass-ceramics with the Ca₂GeO₄ bulk single crystals and Mg₂SiO₄ - glass-ceramics we concluded that the nanocrystal phase is a modified Ca₂GeO₄ structure. Broadband fluorescence and a high quantum efficiency of new glass-ceramics make the new Cr-doped glass-ceramics promising medium for fiber lasers and amplifiers.     

Virus particles and receptor interaction monitored by fluorescence spectroscopy

Native fluorescence spectroscopy (NFS), primarily from tryptophan (trp), was used for in situ investigation of the virus-receptor attachment process in phi6, a lipid-containing bacteriophage from the Cystoviridae family. NFS allowed us to monitor the viral attachment directly to its receptor, which was isolated from the pseudomonad host. Immediately upon mixing, an increase in tryptophan emission intensity was observed followed by a subsequent decrease in emission intensity. The initial increase in emission intensity reflects changes in trp quantum efficiency as the phi6 surface proteins change their conformation as a result of virus attachment to the pilus. The cystovirus spike protein P3 is responsible for receptor recognition and the fluorescence changes observed are likely to be the consequence of its conformational transition at this initial infection stage, providing a kinetic view of this process. The subsequent decrease in trp emission intensity could be due to changes in viral proteins as a result of disassembly of the pili. The technique may have important applications for the dynamic monitoring of additional stages of the virus replication cycle such as assembly, interaction with nucleic acids and maturation. This work expands on a previous demonstration that fluorescence offered a novel tool to detect virus particle interaction with its host cell.     

Direct diode-pumped continuous-wave near-inf rared tunable laser operation of Cr(4+):forsterite and Cr(4+):Ca(2)GeO(4)

Continuous-wave tunable laser operation of direct diode-pumped Cr(4+):Mg(2)SiO(4) (Cr:forsterite) and Cr(4+):Ca(2)GeO(4) (cunyite) crystal were demonstrated. Diode-pumped Cr:forsterite was tunable over the 1236-1300-nm spectral range. The maximum output of 10 mW was measured at 1260 nm for 640 mW of pump power absorbed by the crystal. Diode-pumped laser operation of cunyite was also demonstrated over the 1390-1475-nm range. Free-running 20-mW output was centered at 1410 nm.     

Time-resolved backscattering of circularly and linearly polarized light in a turbid medium

Time-resolved backscattering profiles of circularly and linearly polarized light were measured from a turbid medium composed of small and large polystyrene sphere particles in water. It is shown that, based on the measurements of the time-resolved backscattered copolarized and cross-polarized components of the incident polarized light, either linearly or circularly polarized light can be used to effectively image an object that is deep inside a turbid medium composed of small particles, depending on the depolarization properties of the object itself. For large particles such as in tissue, fog, and clouds, the experimentally observed polarization memory effect on the backscattering temporal profiles suggests that a significant improvement in the image contrast can be achieved by use of circularly polarized light.     

Nondestructive evaluation of incipient corrosion in a metal beneath paint by second-harmonic tomography

A second-harmonic optical scanning imaging method for nondestructive evaluation of corrosion of painted metals is demonstrated. Two-dimensional images of the sectional structure from a sample of painted metal with corrosion were obtained by detection of second-harmonic generation (SHG). The second-harmonic signals generated from paint, corrosion, and metal can be spatially imaged in ~10-mum sliced subsurface layers. Corroded metal layers covered with paint are found to have more intensity variation than normal polished metal. The spatial mapping of the second-harmonic signals shows depth differentiation of paint, corrosion, and metal surfaces. The depth of corrosion beneath the paint can be measured from the SHG images.     

Photon-transport forward model for imaging in turbid media

A photon-transport forward model for image reconstruction in turbid media is derived that treats weak inhomogeneities through a Born approximation of the Boltzmann radiative transfer equation. This model can conveniently replace the commonly used diffusion approximation in optical tomography. An analytical expression of the background Green's function is obtained from the cumulant solution of the Boltzmann equation. Our model provides the correct behavior of photon migration at early times and reduces at long times to the center-moved diffusion approximation. Numerical comparisons between this model and the standard and center-moved diffusion models are presented.